Lawrence boys basketball
By: Jim Green
In order for the Lawrence High School girls basketball team to overcome the loss of 1,000-point scorer Theresa Gregory to graduation, it’s returning players will need to have a strong handle on the fundamentals of the game. So far, however, the Cardinals have been struggling in two key areas.
"The girls are playing hard," Lawrence coach Gregg Zenerovitz said. "We just still are making too many fundamental mistakes. Rebounding is a problem still; turnovers is a problem."
The Cardinals’ struggles have resulted in a 0-3 start, with the latest loss coming Dec. 23 to Bordentown by a 46-30 score at LHS. The Cardinals trailed by eight points at halftime and at the end of the third quarter, but they managed just four points in the final period.
"We kind of ran out of gas at the end," Zenerovitz said. "We’re not making good passes. That led to a lot of turnovers for Bordentown."
Junior guard Nicole McMullen netted 18 points her second straight game in double figures and senior forward Jerilyn Krawczyk added six to lead the Cardinals offense. Jillian Phillips and Taryn Lynch each had 14 for Bordentown.
"It didn’t go exactly as we wanted," Zenerovitz said. "It can only go up from here. It will get better; it’s only a matter of time. We’re just continuing to work on the fundamentals."
Without Gregory to rely on, the five Cardinal starters all returning players with experience are being forced to find new roles on the team. And with each player having to raise her own game, mistakes are inevitable.
"We don’t have that go-to girl right now," Zenerovitz said. "Maybe we’re forcing the issue sometimes when we should be a little more patient. Still, that’s no excuse."
One positive is the play of McMullen, who is averaging a team-high 11.0 points per game through three games.
"She’s very athletic, and she’s using her athletic ability," Zenerovitz said. "That’s a tough mismatch for the other team to defend her, because she’s very quick and she can dribble the ball. I’m happy she’s looking for her shot. I hope some other girls start to look for their shot a little bit more, as well. Right now, it seems like Nicole is the only one, and we need some other girls to step up the way Nicole has these last couple games."
Zenerovitz believes the entire team must improve its decision-making process on offense.
"We’re trying to do more passing drills in practice," he added. "We’re watching tape to point out certain situations where we shouldn’t be forcing passes. We’re in the learning process. We’re in it together. We’ll find a way out of it. We’ve got to get our act together fast, because the heart of the schedule is coming up."
The Cardinals have 16 total games before the Feb. 5 state-tournament cutoff, meaning they must have fewer than nine losses if they are to have the necessary .500 record in order to qualify. Their 0-3 start has put them in a hole, and it wasn’t going to get any easier Wednesday, as they were scheduled to face state power Willingboro in the first round of Hopewell Valley’s John Molinelli Holiday Classic.
"Right now, we have a lot to work on," Zenerovitz said. "Playing such a powerful team right now, we have to worry about what we’re doing. It’s not the best time to play Willingboro because were 0-3 and trying to get that first win. Hopefully, we can show some signs of improvement. We can take that as a positive."
The Cardinals were excited about the opportunity to compete in the Hopewell tournament, which is named in honor of Molinelli the father of Hopewell boys guard Jeff Molinelli who collapsed and died of a heart attack during the Hopewell-Lawrence state tournament game in March.
"I think we’re focused on tomorrow and improving on what we need to improve on," Zenerovitz said. "We’re looking forward to going over there. It’s an honor to be invited to this tournament. We’re just looking to improve on what we need to, and if we can do that, it will give the girls some confidence."
Following the tournament, the Cardinals will play host to West Windsor-Plainsboro North at 7 p.m. Tuesday before visiting Allentown at 7 p.m. Jan. 7.
"We look forward to going against those teams," Zenerovitz said. "It’s kind of wide open this year. On any given night, any team can knock off each other, and it’s fun because you kind of know the systems from the other teams in the conference. You kind of know what to expect. We know West Windsor North is a passing team, and Allentown’s pretty athletic, and they have some size. You just look forward to going against those other teams. We’ve just got to get through this week first, and, hopefully improve as a team and then get ready for our CVC opponents."

