Lawrence boys basketball
By: Jim Green
Prior to tipoff of the Lawrence High School boys basketball team’s game against St. Patrick’s of Elizabeth last week, a couple of the Cardinals found themselves laughing. The source of their amusement? The size of the opponents they were going to have to guard from the powerful parochial school.
"They’re really big," Lawrence coach Pat Tarrant said of the Original Celtics. "They came on the court at the start of the game, and we were matching up by size. They were so much bigger than us at every position."
But the Cardinals, who played St. Anthony of Newark last year and have a rematch with the Friars scheduled for later this season, relish the opportunity to test their skills against the best players in the state. And Lawrence certainly proved itself a worthy opponent, falling 64-40 Dec. 22 in Elizabeth.
"They let up on us in the second half a little bit, but we got off to a good start," Tarrant said. "I saw a team develop during the game. They did some things later on in the game. It was a good experience for us."
It was an important experience for the Cardinals (1-2), who were coming off a disappointing 54-49 loss to Hamilton in their home opener on Dec. 21. Senior guard Matt Stein and junior center Brett Brackett must be the leaders for the Cardinals, and they filled that role perfectly against St. Patrick’s. Stein poured in 16 points, while Brackett contributed 12, helping Lawrence bounce back from the Hamilton game.
"Matt had a really good game he played well," Tarrant said. "Brett really worked hard against a lot of bigger opponents."
The strong play of their team leaders helped the Cardinals hang with the Original Celtics through the first quarter, but the home squad took over in the second to put the game out of reach.
"The second quarter was a disaster," Tarrant said. "In the third quarter, we did a better job of handling the pressure."
The unselfish Stein, who scored just four total points over the Cardinals’ first two games, began asserting himself in the St. Patrick’s game.
"He hit from the outside, got to the basket," Tarrant said. "He really competed, did a good job of trying to lead his teammates."
Overall, Tarrant believes the opportunity to play some of the top teams in the state provides his players with an invaluable experience they can lean on as the season pushes forward.
"Down the road, if we see someone that’s big and physical and applies that kind of pressure, we’ll have seen it before," Tarrant said. "Our guys always like playing good teams. They look forward to it. It’s always a positive thing."
The strong effort was a step in the right direction for the Cardinals, but their woes are not completely solved just yet.
"My feeling’s still the same," Tarrant said. "I think we can, down the road, be a pretty good basketball team if the kids want to pay the price to get there. We have to get a lot tougher. We need to practice with a lot more intensity. Time will tell."
One area where the Cardinals could potentially be stronger than they were last year is in their post play, with the 6-foot-6 Brackett having bulked up noticeably since his sophomore season.
"He’s probably 10 to 15 pounds heavier than last year," Tarrant said. "That’s just the natural progression as far as his body shape and build. He’s got to be about 225 pounds. I’d like to see him become more of a physical presence on the court.
"It’s not just taking shots. It’s being more of a physical presence conceding nothing around the basket. It’s a mindset, and he doesn’t have that mindset yet. He’s scoring points and grabbing rebounds. Now we have to develop a presence on the court. That’s a tough thing."
The Cardinals were back in action Wednesday, as they faced Hillsborough in the first round of the John Molinelli Holiday Classic at Hopewell Valley. The Cardinals beat Hillsborough 65-61 late last season.
"They’re always pretty good," Tarrant said of Hillsborough, a Group IV school from the Skyland Conference. "We upset them last year at their place. That’s a little bit of incentive for them. They’re a big school. That should be a good game for us to see if we’ve come anywhere from that Hamilton game. That will be a good test for us."
Hopewell was set to play St. Peter’s of Staten Island, N.Y., in the other first round game Wednesday. The Cardinals will play in either the tournament championship or consolation game today (Thursday). The consolation game begins at 5:30 p.m., with championship game following.
The tournament, which is debuting this season, will honor Molinelli the father of Hopewell Valley guard Jeff Molinelli who collapsed and died of a heart attack while taking pictures from the sideline of the Hopewell-Lawrence state tournament game last season. The Molinellis formerly were Lawrence residents before moving to Hopewell.
"It’s a real good tournament," Tarrant said. "It’s for a good cause. It’s very competitive. It’s really close for us.
"They (the Cardinals) are ready. They look forward to it. They all know Jeff very well. They’re going to play and do well. It should be a very good experience for us. Hopewell’s good, Hillsborough’s, the team from Staten Island is good. It should be a lot of fun."

