Girls basketball
By: Jim Green
The Lawrence High School girls basketball team left nothing to chance Friday against Allentown.
The Cardinals, who suffered from two questionable fourth-quarter calls in a three-point loss to Steinert on Jan. 14, responded with a dominant 48-31 win over Allentown. Senior guard Tashema Whittaker, who was limited to 11 points by Steinert, poured in 27 against the Redbirds as Lawrence improved to 5-4.
"Tashema (Whittaker) had a very good game," Lawrence coach Gregg Zenerovitz said. "Some other players struggled a little bit, and Tashema picked it up."
Those struggling players included junior forward Theresa Gregory, who was held to four points. Gregory, who scored at least 18 points in six of the Cardinals’ first seven games, has netted just nine total over the last two.
Zenerovitz believes Lawrence’s opponents are focusing on stopping Gregory, the Cardinals’ top interior-scoring threat.
"They (the Redbirds) did a good job defensively," Zenerovitz said. "Sometimes, as a team, our shots aren’t dropping, so they (opponents) are leaving the perimeter open."
But Whittaker made Allentown pay for employing that strategy Friday night, connecting on three 3-pointers to reach 20 points for the third time this season. Whittaker is now leading the Cardinals in scoring at 16.9 points per game, moving ahead of Gregory (15.3 points per game).
"They (the Redbirds) came out with a zone," Zenerovitz said. "We moved her (Whittaker) from point guard to shooting guard and she was open a few times."
Whittaker’s outside shooting helped Lawrence open a 24-13 halftime lead. She then scored 10 fourth-quarter points to help the Cardinals pull away.
"She got most of those points in transition," Zenerovitz said of Whittaker’s fourth-quarter outburst.
The 27 points left Whittaker 25 shy of 1,000 for her career. She will continue her march toward the milestone when the Cardinals host West Windsor-Plainsboro North at 7 p.m. Friday.
The improved Knights are 6-4 after falling to Trenton 52-34 last Friday. Lawrence visits the state champion Tornadoes at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
"They (the Knights) are playing pretty well," Zenerovitz said. "It’s a big week for us."
The key against West Windsor-Plainsboro North will be the backcourt match-up. The Cardinals’ tandem of Whittaker and senior Christine Rivera will be charged with denying West Windsor-Plainsboro North sharpshooters Cynthia Kao (12.4 points per game) and Laura Trzasko (11.8 points per game).
"They (the Knights) have two girls who can really shoot," Zenerovitz said. "Not much size, but they’re quick and athletic."
If the Knights focus their defensive efforts on shutting down Gregory, senior forward Tiffany Lewis (9.2 points per game) could step up for Lawrence.
"Tiffany (Lewis) passes the ball real well," Zenerovitz said. "She’s a little unselfish. I don’t put any pressure on her. They (the Cardinals) play as a team."

