GIRLS BASKETBALL
By: Steve Feitl
The holidays were not fruitful for the Lawrence High School girls basketball team.
The 0-4 Cardinals hosted their annual holiday tournament last week, but found themselves on the losing end of two contests.
First, the girls dropped a close game to Oak Knoll Academy, 60-53, before falling to Linden in the consolation game by a score of 66-46.
In the opener on Thursday, the Cards jumped out to an early lead. Lawrence led, 14-10, at the end of the first and, despite a Oak Knoll comeback, was still in it at halftime, trailing by a single point, 30-29.
But the second half was not as kind to the Cardinals, as Oak Knoll pulled away and completed a 60-53 victory.
Sophomore Theresa Gregory was the star on the court for the Cardinals, leading all Lawrence girls with 17 points.
Tashima Whitaker was right behind her, dropping in 16 points, including two 3-point baskets.
Arianna Brame contributed 10 points of her own for the Cardinals, while Orpha Allen scored eight and Mary Lazarides pitched in two.
In the consolation game, Lawrence again held a modest lead after the first period, 12-10. But in the second quarter, the Cardinals could muster only two points. Meanwhile, Linden dropped in 19 points to take a commanding 29-14 halftime lead.
Even a strong 23-point Cardinal fourth quarter was not enough to bring the girls back, as Linden cruised to its 66-46 victory.
Again, it was Gregory as the leading-scoring Cardinal. Her 23 points actually was the high for all players in the game and helped her earn her a selection on the all-tournament team.
Allen helped out with nine points, while Whitaker added six.
Other Lawrence scorers included Brame (four points), Erin Gomez (two points) and Tyesha Thomas (two points).
Lawrence returns to action today (Thursday), looking for its first win of the season when Trenton comes to town for a 7 p.m. game.
Then, the Cardinals take to the road for a game at Hopewell Valley on Saturday and Princeton on Monday.
‡ NOTES: Toms River South won the Lawrence tournament, defeating Linden in the first round and squeaking past Oak Knoll, 36-33, in the championship game.