Hightstown’s Jason Whitlock, 24, attempts to dunk the ball against Hamilton West during a CVC boys basketball game on Thursday night at the Hornets Nest in Hamilton Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Hightstown’s Chase Deutsch, left, and Nicolas Sarr, right, battle for a rebound with Hamilton West’s Elijah Henriquez, center, during a CVC boys basketball game on Thursday night at the Hornets Nest in Hamilton Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Hightstown coach Donald DeLeo Jr. looks on against Hamilton West during a CVC boys basketball game on Thursday night at the Hornets Nest in Hamilton Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Hightstown’s Christian Kingwood, right, shoots the ball over the defense of Hamilton West’s Nakaye Bradshaw, left, during a CVC boys basketball game on Thursday night at the Hornets Nest in Hamilton Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Hamilton West’s Elijah Henriquez, center, grabs a rebound against Hightstown during a CVC boys basketball game on Thursday night at the Hornets Nest in Hamilton Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Hightstown’s Chase Deutsch, left, shoots a 3-pointer over the defense of Hamilton’s West’s Sean Turner, right, during a CVC boys basketball game on Thursday night at the Hornets Nest in Hamilton Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Hightstown’s Caden Mamone, let, lays the ball in the basket as Hamilton West’s Sean Turner, right, tries to block it during a CVC boys basketball game on Thursday night at the Hornets Nest in Hamilton Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Hamilton West’s Sean Turner, right, drives to the basket past Hightstown’s Julian Davis, left, during a CVC boys basketball game on Thursday night at the Hornets Nest in Hamilton Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Hightstown’s James Boswell Jr. dribbles the ball up the court against Hamilton West during a CVC boys basketball game on Thursday night at the Hornets Nest in Hamilton Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Hamilton West’s Nakye Bradshaw, 5, floats up a shot against Hightstown during a CVC boys basketball game on Thursday night at the Hornets Nest in Hamilton Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Hightstown’s Nicolas Sarr goes to shoot the ball against Hamilton West during a CVC boys basketball game on Thursday night at the Hornets Nest in Hamilton Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Hamilton West’s Sean Turner dribbles the ball up the court against Hightstown during a CVC boys basketball game on Thursday night at the Hornets Nest in Hamilton Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Hamilton West’s Luke Radoslovich, right, is knocked off balance by Hightstown’s Julian Davis, left, during a CVC boys basketball game on Thursday night at the Hornets Nest in Hamilton Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Hightstown’s Jason Whitlock, left, tries to grab a loose ball as he gets fouled by Hamilton West’s Luke Radoslovich, right, during a CVC boys basketball game on Thursday night at the Hornets Nest in Hamilton Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Hightstown’s Jason Whitlock, center, shoots the ball as Hamilton West’s Antonie Darlen, right, and Luke Radoslovich, left, defend during a CVC boys basketball game on Thursday night at the Hornets Nest in Hamilton Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Hightstown coach Donald DeLeo Jr. gestures to his team against Hamilton West during a CVC boys basketball game on Thursday night at the Hornets Nest in Hamilton Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Hamilton West coach Brandon Johnson gestures to his team against Hightstown during a CVC boys basketball game on Thursday night at the Hornets Nest in Hamilton Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Show Caption1 of 17Hightstown’s Jason Whitlock, 24, attempts to dunk the ball against Hamilton West during a CVC boys basketball game on Thursday night at the Hornets Nest in Hamilton Twp. (Kyle Franko/ Trentonian Photo) Expand HAMILTON — High school basketball in December is all about building for the long haul. The performances won’t always be pretty and teams must develop character through adverse circumstances, and that’s exactly what happened in the Hightstown boys basketball team’s 48-30 win Tuesday night at Hamilton West. “I think our season is gonna go how well we play — not how well the teams we play against are,” senior point guard Chase Deutsch said. “Really it’s all about what we bring.” What Hightstown (2-1) brought at the outset of the game was less than ideal: eight straight missed shots, a pair of turnovers and only two points going into the second quarter. “I think we just expected to come in here and have an easy win, but they definitely did not let us do that,” Deutch said. “We had to play a lot more unselfishly in the second quarter and throughout the rest of the game.” Hamilton (0-3) has essentially a brand-new varsity team but has always played scrappy under coach Brandon Johnson. Still, Hightstown regrouped and proved it has the more talented team by dominating the next two quarters with excellent rebounding and about 47 percent field-goal shooting. “Down 8-2 to start the second, I think most teams would probably crumble, and I think our guys came into the timeout and they rallied around one another — not necessarily me. They made the plays, they got the stops, they got out in transition, they got it going,” Hightstown coach Don DeLeo said. “Credit to Hamilton West and Brandon Johnson. They played really, really hard. They’re young, they’re inexperienced at this time, but I wouldn’t want to play them at the end of the year.” Hightstown, after hovering around .500 records each of the past four seasons with tough schedules, is aiming to be a breakout team in the CVC this winter. So far, the Rams look like the part as they feature a deep roster with size, athleticism and outside shooting. Eight different players logged points Tuesday led by 6-foot-5 junior combo guard Jason Whitlock’s 10 points. “We started getting in our heads a little bit, but as we came out a little bit, we started understanding what we had to do, hustle more and we have to keep shooting,” Whitlock said. “Eventually they’re gonna go in.” Deutsch, Jackson White, Caden Mamone and James Boswell Jr. combined for five 3-pointers and 23 total points for the Rams, who opened the second quarter with a 16-2 run. “Really just getting more gritty, being the first to the floor — the hustle plays,” Deutsch said. “I think Julian Davis and Jackson White really stepped it up in the second quarter, and I think that really helped us.” Deutsch helped keep Hightstown composed and organized against Hamilton’s pressures defenses with strong ball-handling and a flurry of assists. After getting significant varsity experience as a junior, Deutsch is ready to take into the role previously filled by All-CVC First Team star Yasin Elhossieni. “Whatever I can do to help the team be the best they can be,” Deutsch said when asked what his mindset is as a senior. “Yasin, he was a great guard last year and provided me with wisdom and everything he did, so hopefully I’ll handle the mantle.” Whitlock was Hightstown’s top returning scorer from last year and will soon be playing alongside 6-foot-9 St. Thomas Aquinas transfer Brett Carter, who must sit out for 22 days, per NJSIAA transfer rules for seniors. “We have a lot of key pieces that still haven’t played yet to come in and do some big things,” said Whitlock, who is aspiring to play Division I college basketball. As for Tuesday, Hightstown had to feel good about committing only five turnovers. DeLeo said taking care of the ball was emphasized all in week in practice because the team had close to 20 turnovers in each of its first two games: a loss to Seton Hall Prep and a win against Princeton. “They started pressing, so we had to flash middle, look around, even hit the fastbreak and got some looks there,” Whitlock said. Hightstown had flawless ball security in the middle two quarters against Hamilton, seizing control of the game with an 18-5 second quarter. “We went in the locker room and I said, ‘If we get one more of those, we’re out of here,’” DeLeo recalled. The Rams had a 15-8 third quarter — close enough to that halftime goal — and finished the game with strong defense. Sean Turner, a sophomore guard, led Hamilton with 13 points. But the Hornets had only four scorers on the stat sheet, single-digits points in every quarter, and about 32 percent field-goal shooting overall. “We started off slow, but as we hit the glass in the second half we started coming back and did some great things,” Whitlock said. And Hightstown is aiming for more great things as it builds for postseason runs come March. “I think everyone is buying in to the thought process that we can be more than what a lot of people think,” Deutsch said. HIGHTSTOWN (48) Kingswood 3-0-6, Mamone 3-0-7, White 2-0-6, Davis 1-0-2, Whitlock 5-0-10, Deutsch 3-0-7, Sarr 3-1-7, Boswell 1-0-3. Totals — 21-1-48. HAMILTON (30) Turner 5-3-13, Bradshaw 4-2-11, Radoslovich 1-0-3, Henriquez 1-1-3. Totals — 11-6-30. Hightstown (2-1) 2 19 15 12 — 48 Hamilton (0-3) 8 5 8 9 — 30 3-point goals: White 2, Mamone, Deutsch, Boswell (Htown), Bradshaw, Radoslovich (Ham).