Breath of fresh air for Lawrence girls team

Lawrence girls basketball

By: Jim Green
   The Lawrence High School girls basketball players are feeling better about themselves these days, and it’s showing in their play on the court.
   Last week, the Cardinals defeated Ewing and Stuart Country Day for their first two wins of the year. And although their schedule toughened up again shortly thereafter, they still have the look of an excited young team, even in defeat.
   "Our goal is 30 minutes of playing really hard and getting after it and leaving everything on the court," Lawrence coach Gregg Zenerovitz said. "Wins take care of themselves."
   On Tuesday night, the Cardinals faced a steep challenge in Colonial Valley Conference Colonial Division foe Steinert, which entered the game 7-3. After a slow first half, the Cardinals turned on the jets and made the Spartans work for a 48-29 win.
   "I’m proud of the way they’re playing," Zenerovitz said. "I thought the second-half effort was better than the first half. There’s been good chemistry. I thought the girls talked more in the second half. Every game, the goal is to improve."
   Senior guard Daniela Bottoni had 10 points and five rebounds — including two 3-pointers — and senior forward Caitlin Grabowski had eight points and five rebounds. Senior guard Brittany Hendricks had five points and five rebounds, and senior guard Krista Regan had three points and five rebounds.
   Despite the balanced effort, the short-handed Cardinals (2-9) — who will be without senior forward Jerilyn Krawczyk the rest of the season — could not match up with the taller and more athletic Spartans.
   "They’re a very good team," Zenerovitz said. "One thing we can take out of tonight’s game is recognizing what the opponent is throwing at us. Next game, we’ll look to improve on that."
   The Cardinals hung with Steinert in the first quarter. The Spartans opened a quick 5-0 lead, but Grabowski had four points to help Lawrence crawl within 12-9 by the end of the period.
   In the second quarter, however, Lawrence struggled to get anything going offensively, turning the ball over seven times and failing to convert a field goal. The Spartans outscored the Cardinals 11-2 in the quarter to open a 12-point halftime lead.
   After halftime, the hustle clearly was there, exemplified by Grabowski’s offensive rebound and put-back at the 5:17 mark that closed the gap to 25-14. Two minutes later, freshman guard Reem Bichara knocked down a jumper that again cut the Steinert lead to 12, but the Spartans closed the period on a 7-2 run, effectively putting the game away.
   Among the positive developments in the loss was the continued development of freshman guard Maria Eldridge, who came off the bench to provide three points, three rebounds, two steals and plenty of hustle.
   "I like her attitude," Zenerovitz said. "I like her toughness. She’s very intelligent on the court. She works hard."
   The Cardinals were coming off a 46-29 loss at Hopewell last Friday. Bichara pumped in 11 points, and Regan added six, but the Cardinals had difficulty with the deep Lady Bulldogs. Still, they did manage to hold Hopewell’s explosive offense to under 50 points.
   "We really played some good defense," Zenerovitz said. "There’s some positives there."
   In the three days prior to that, Lawrence posted its first two wins of the season — both coming on the road. Against Ewing on Jan. 11, the Cardinals came back from a nine-point third-quarter deficit to defeat the Blue Devils 45-43. Lawrence trailed by one late, but good teamwork created the winning bucket, as Regan worked the ball to Grabowski, who found an open Bottoni for an open 3, which she knocked down.
   Two days later, Hendricks had 18, Bottoni netted 14, and Grabowski added 12 as Lawrence recovered from a nine-point halftime deficit to hammer Stuart 63-47. Under the guidance of Hendricks and Regan, the Cardinals outscored Stuart 38-13 over the last two quarters.
   "They’re just leaders," Zenerovitz said. "Krista has really been vocal. Brittany’s been very positive and has been a leader. That rubs off on the younger kids."
   Zenerovitz said he first saw the Cardinals’ positive attitude develop during their 48-28 loss to Allentown on Jan. 7. Bichara led Lawrence with seven points.
   "I noticed it against Allentown," he said. "I noticed it during that first half. That’s when I started seeing a team develop."
   The Cardinals are at Trenton at 3:45 p.m. Friday before visiting Morrisville at 5:30 p.m. Jan. 27.
   "I like this team I have right now," Zenerovitz said. "We went through a lot of changes. The girls are playing hard."