Lawrence boys basketball
By: Jim Green
The Lawrence High School boys basketball team’s tough out-of-conference schedule appears to be paying off.
The Cardinals, fresh off a strong appearance in Hopewell’s John Molinelli Holiday Classic, evened their record at 3-3 Tuesday night with a 57-34 road win over West Windsor-Plainsboro North. Junior center Brett Brackett set the tone with 18 points, while junior guard Chris Martine poured in 16, and senior forward Shamil Rodriguez added 10.
"This is a tough place to play," Lawrence coach Pat Tarrant said. "North is a much tougher team at home."
But the Cardinals were ready for the challenge, as they dominated each of the first three quarters, opening an insurmountable 48-21 lead heading into the fourth. The win represented a continuation of the Cardinals’ fine play in the Molinelli Holiday Classic. During the tournament, they accomplished just what Tarrant hoped for they played competitively against two quality teams and improved in some of the areas in which he felt they had been struggling in the early going.
"We made some improvements on things we weren’t doing well in the first couple games," Tarrant said. "We did a good job of taking care of the basketball. We competed and played hard, and our defense tightened up a little bit."
The improved play helped the Cardinals snare a win from Group IV power Hillsborough Dec. 29 in the opening round of the tournament. Rodriguez came up huge, scoring all 11 of the Cardinals’ fourth-quarter points to help Lawrence hold on for the 42-41 victory. Rodriguez finished with 15 points.
"That was a very big game," Tarrant said. "We beat them last year, so they were looking forward to playing us. It was a typical Lawrence-Hillsborough game. It was very aggressive by both teams. We were fortunate enough to have an opportunity to win at the end. It was a very close game the whole way."
The next night, the Cardinals fell to host Hopewell 56-44 in the final. Hopewell guard Jeff Molinelli the son of John Molinelli, who collapsed and died of a heart attack on the sidelines during the Lawrence-Hopewell state-tournament game last March scored 17 points and was named the game’s MVP. Hopewell, which led by just two points heading into the final quarter, outscored the Cardinals 15-5 in the fourth.
"In the fourth quarter, we ran out of steam a little bit," Tarrant said. "They went up by nine early in the fourth, and that’s where it stayed the rest of the way. We never really closed that gap. They made some really big free throws throughout the fourth."
Tarrant said the emotion of the night affected both teams heavily. The Molinellis are former Lawrence residents, and many of the Cardinals know Jeff well.
"It was tough for both teams," he said. "They just responded better in the fourth quarter. They picked it up.
"It was a tough game for both teams, but I think both teams handled it well. It was a good tournament, and it was for a good cause. They handled it well. It was a good thing."
Brackett led Lawrence with 16 points, while senior guard Matt Stein stepped up with 10.
"He (Stein) is a three-year starter," Tarrant said. "He’s been in tough games and tough situations. He’s very unselfish, which is good, but sometimes he needs to look for himself. We could use his scoring from the perimeter."
Against Hillsborough, Brackett netted 14, and Martine had nine in support of Rodriguez, who had easily the best game of his Cardinal career.
"Hopefully, he can contribute that way on a consistent basis," Tarrant said of Rodriguez. "If he can be a dependable 8-10 point-a-game scorer and play good defense and grab rebounds, that’s going to be a good lift for our team."
Tarrant still wants to see stronger play from his team as a whole on the offensive end of the floor.
"We have to score more points," he said. "We had 42 versus Hillsborough and 44 versus Hopewell. We need to get up in the 50s and, preferably, the 60s. We have to take advantage of scoring opportunities we have, and, hopefully, we’ll start shooting the ball more consistently."
The Cardinals play host to Allentown at 7 p.m. Friday before visiting another Group IV power from Somerset County, Bridgewater-Raritan, at 7 p.m. Saturday. Lawrence will be at Ewing at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
"I’m looking for more of an understanding of what we’re trying to do offensively," Tarrant said. "Also, we’re getting good shots, but we’re not knocking them down. Maybe, there will come a time where we start scoring with some consistency.
"We have six games in the next two weeks. They’re all very important."