Wallace coming up big for Collingswood boys
Jaden Wallace scored 10 points in the first quarter, making a pair of three-point jumpers from the deep corner. Wallace scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, rallying his team from a deficit with another three-pointer and closing the deal with four free throws in the frantic final seconds.
Jaden Wallace scored 10 points in the first quarter, making a pair of three-point jumpers from the deep corner.
Wallace scored 11 points in the fourth quarter, rallying his team from a deficit with another three-pointer and closing the deal with four free throws in the frantic final seconds.
Wallace was at his best at the start and finish of Collingswood's 47-45 victory over rival Sterling in the first round of the South Jersey Group 2 tournament on Monday night.
The junior guard's play has been on the rise for the last six weeks, Collingswood coach Patrick Dorney said.
"Jaden has elevated his game from right around mid-January," Dorney said. "We had a conversation with him about being 'The Guy.' "
The 6-foot-1 Wallace will lead eighth-seeded Collingswood into the sectional quarterfinals Wednesday night at top-seeded Camden.
"We've got a monster next," Wallace said of Camden, the defending champion and No. 4 team in the Inquirer Top 25.
Wallace scored 23 against Sterling. He is averaging 19.7 points in Collingswood's last eight games.
Dorney was most pleased with Wallace's determination to make his mark on the first-round playoff game.
The coach said his star junior has the skill set to be a dominant player.
He just doesn't always look to seize command of the game.
"He has a personality that at times is so passive that he doesn't want to be the guy," Dorney said. "But we said, 'It's time for you to step up.'
"From the moment he had the ball tonight, you thought something good was going to happen."
Wallace said he has worked to try to become a more assertive player.
"I want to, but it's hard. We have six seniors," Wallace said. "But I'm trying."
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