Dazzling

They play together so perfectly, in such perfect time and rhythm, with such incredible power and speed, that it's impossible not to be impressed.

They aren't just successful when they take the court; they overwhelm the court. The audience is forced to notice and sit back in awe, and ultimately there is nothing left to do but applaud, cheer and rise to its collective feed in recognition.

This was obvious once again this past Saturday afternoon on Jadwin Gym's Carril Court. Even a casual observer with no real connection to those members of the team or an allegiance to the uniform they wear was left almost speechless. And was left to admire the passion of the team's leader, which showed through in every way.

TigerBlog speaks, of course, about the members of the group "Drums Of Thunder." If you were in Jadwin Saturday afternoon, you know exactly what TigerBlog is saying.

The Drums of Thunder is a percussion group made up of fourth- and fifth-graders from the Hillside Elementary School in Montclair, about an hour north of Princeton. Let's see. Fourth- and fifth-grade? Then we're talking about kids who are probably, what, 9? 10?

And yet they were incredible. Their performance consisted of synchronized drumming, mixed with some synchronized dance-type movements, all under the watch of an enthusiastic leader who must be some sort of miracle worker to get a group of children that age to do all of that with such precision and mastery.

If TigerBlog had to pick one word to describe the group, he would use "dazzling."

Of course, basically anything he said about Drums of Thunder applied to the Princeton women's basketball team, who was also dazzling Saturday afternoon in its 83-54 win over Penn. The win pushed Princeton to 17-0 and, with losses this weekend by Mississippi State and Texas, left Princeton and South Carolina as the only undefeated women's basketball teams in Division I.

Princeton never trailed against the defending Ivy League champion, who had ended Princeton's four-year run last year in the season finale at Jadwin with an 80-64 win in which the Quakers had never trailed.

This time, Princeton controlled everything. The tempo. The boards. The score. Everything.

The only reason the game was even remotely close at the half was that Princeton missed some shots in the first half that it usually doesn't. By the end of the game, Princeton was at exactly 50 percent (33 for 66), which meant a blistering 19 for 29 (65.5 percent) second half.

And that was against one of the top defensive teams in Division I.

In the end, a 10-point halftime lead grew to 21 on an 11-0 run to start the second half and then to as many as 33. Princeton, ranked 22nd in one poll and 24th in the other before today's are announced, are now headed into a nearly three-week break for exams.

Princeton won four straight Ivy titles before last year on teams that featured all-time great players like Lauren Edwards and Devona Allgood, not to mention the best player Princeton has ever had, Niveen Rasheed.

So what's up with this year's team?

Well, it's led by a senior, Blake Dietrick, who went over the 1,000-point mark Saturday. Dietrick can make threes or go to the basket, and her quickness is a huge weapon. She is joined in the starting lineup by four juniors - Annie Tarackchian, Michelle Miller, Alex Wheatley, Amanda Berntsen - with a pretty strong supporting cast of the bench.

The result is a team that plays incredibly well together, you know, like the Drums of Thunder. In all seriousness, this is what can happen when you have a team with four juniors and senior.

Princeton moves the ball incredibly and is constantly finding the right person. Everyone can shoot. Everyone gets out in transition. Points come in volume.

Ah, but when they don't? When shots don't fall?

Well, consider this: In the Ivy clincher last year, Penn's Sydney Stipanovich and Katheen Roche combined for 36 points on 12 for 23 shooting. That's 52 percent, by the way.

The game Saturday? The two combined for 10 points on 3 for 17 shooting. That's 18 percent.

In other words, this team defends.

Right now, everything is going great for the Tiger women. They are nationally ranked. They are unbeaten. They are getting media coverage from all over, including a nice piece in the New York Times. 

Talk everywhere is about a 14-0 Ivy run, which would mean a 30-0 regular season.

TigerBlog hates to throw cold water on the enthusiasm, but let's stay grounded for awhile.

For starters, Princeton's next game is at Harvard on Jan. 30. Last year, Princeton beat Penn by 31 at the Palestra in the Ivy opener, took its exams, and then lost to Harvard at home in the first game back.

And then there's the Penn situation. Last year, Princeton beat Penn by 31 at Penn in the opener and lost by 16 at home in the season finale.

If you're the Quakers, you're definitely hanging your hopes on a repeat of history.

As for Harvard, the Crimson lost 76-61 to Dartmouth this weekend in their Ivy opener. Princeton is at Dartmouth Jan. 31, and the Big Green are currently 10-5.

Hey, there's a long way to go from 17-0 to 30-0, or even from 1-0 in the league to actually regaining the league title.

For now, it's study time, with that 17-0 out there for everyone to see.

It's been a great start to the season and the Ivy season.

It's been, in a word, dazzling.