Boys basketball
By: Jim Green
The Lawrence High School boys basketball team last week fell two points short of its first three-game winning streak of the season.
The Cardinals, who were coming off back-to-back wins over Nottingham and North Hunterdon, lost at Colonial Valley Conference Colonial Division rival Steinert 48-46 in overtime Saturday. It was the second overtime defeat of the year for the Cardinals, who dropped to 7-13 overall and 5-9 in the CVC.
It also was the seventh time Lawrence lost by less than 10 points.
"It (the loss to Steinert) was just frustrating," Lawrence coach Pat Tarrant said. "We’ve played a lot of games close and lost in the end."
The loss was especially difficult for the Cardinals to swallow, because they battled out of an early hole. The Spartans led 15-9 after the first quarter, but Lawrence used tenacious defense to stay within striking distance.
"We battled hard," Tarrant said. "We were down early, but the guys fought and played hard."
After a physical fourth quarter, Steinert chose to slow down the pace of the game, holding the ball for nearly the entire overtime period before winning the game on a last-second shot.
"The last couple of minutes of regulation, there was some crazy stuff," Tarrant said. "In overtime, they (the Spartans) just held the ball. They got the last shot. It was frustrating."
The Cardinals lost despite receiving solid performances from their top two scorers, senior guard Shawn Potocki and senior forward Justin Ross. Potocki netted 12 points and is averaging 13.8 points a game, while Ross netted 11 to raise his average to 10.7 points per game.
Tarrant feels the progress of Ross, who was academically ineligible to play last season, is one of the few bright spots of Lawrence’s down year.
"All around, he (Ross) has gotten much better," Tarrant said. "He’s shooting better, and he’s making some nice passes.
"It’s an amazing success story. It’s a really good thing to see."
Although the Cardinals failed to win their third in a row, they did put together their first two-game winning streak of the season.
Lawrence had four players score in double figures Feb. 11 on the way to defeating Colonial Division opponent Nottingham 62-48 at LHS. Potocki and freshman center Brett Brackett each netted 12 points, while Ross and sophomore guard Matt Stein added 11 apiece.
The Cardinals trailed the Northstars by one point at halftime before going on a 25-10 run in the third quarter.
"We played well against Nottingham," Tarrant said. "We took control in the third quarter."
Ross poured in 23 points two days later, as Lawrence defeated North Hunterdon 55-48 at home in a non-conference tilt. Brackett chipped in with 12 points, and Potocki added nine.
"The game (against North Hunterdon) wasn’t as close as the score," Tarrant said. "We got to play a lot of people (off the bench), which was nice."
Tarrant did not feel his club’s loss to Steinert took away from its best week of the season.
"We’re doing some good things," he said. "We’re playing much better than we did early in the season. We’ve been very competitive."
The Cardinals hoped to keep their strong play going against Hightstown in the Mercer County Challenge on Tuesday, but the snowstorm forced the cancellation of the game. Tarrant said Lawrence is expecting to make up the contest today.

