Zenerovitz happy with effort in loss

Lawrence girls basketball

By: Jim Green
   The Lawrence High School girls basketball team knew what the situation was Friday.
   The Cardinals did not have reasonable expectations of winning when they visited Trenton. But they did have goals.
   "We just wanted to play hard," Lawrence coach Gregg Zenerovitz said. "We just wanted to see an effort. At halftime, we talked about working on the things we needed to work on for this week’s games. The girls gave an effort. Trenton’s a very talented team. It’s tough for us to compete with them right now."
   Lawrence’s fine effort was reflected by the final score — a 60-30 Trenton win. While that might not sound impressive, it is when one considers the uphill battle the Cardinals were fighting against the powerful Tornadoes.
   "The kids are working hard and playing to the best of their ability," Zenerovitz said. "It’s going to get better. I was pleased we were able to score 30 points against them. We’ll take some positives out of it."
   The short-handed Cardinals (2-10 overall, 1-7 in the CVC) entered the game with just two wins and an eight-player rotation, so in a sense, they were behind before the game even started. The 10-1 Tornadoes were up 33-11 by halftime. Although the Cardinals came through with a solid effort in the second half — getting outscored only 27-19 over the final two quarters — the game already was lost.
   Senior guard Brittany Hendricks led the Cardinals with 15 points, while freshman guard Reem Bichara had seven, and senior guard Krista Regan netted six. Hendricks had a fine performance in her last career regular-season game on Trenton’s home floor.
   "She had a nice game," Zenerovitz said. "She hit some open shots. She’s the type of girl we’re looking for in this program. At this point, it would be very easy for an upperclassman to pack it in. She’s kept battling, kept competing.
   "This isn’t the season she hoped for. She leads by example, and the other kids see that."
   Hendricks leads the Cardinals in scoring at 6.2 points per game, while senior guard Daniela Bottoni is at 5.7, Regan is netting 5.5, and senior forward Caitlin Grabowski is at 3.3 points per game.
   The Cardinals next play host to Morrisville (Pa.) at 5:30 p.m. today (Thursday) before playing road games at West Windsor-Plainsboro South at 7 p.m. Friday and Nottingham at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
   Zenerovitz hopes his team can get a winning streak going in their games against Morrisville and 2-11 WW-P South before facing 12-1 Nottingham.
   "We can be competitive in these games," he said. "We haven’t beaten West Windsor South in years. I think this year we can get them, if we play smart."
   They will play host to Notre Dame at 7 p.m. Feb. 4 and Hun at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 7. Lawrence will visit Hightstown at 7 p.m. Feb. 8 and finish the regular season with a home game against Hunterdon Central at 7 p.m. Feb. 11.
   If the Cardinals are able to get on a roll over the next two weeks, they could improve their position in the upcoming Mercer County Tournament, which is scheduled to begin Feb. 14.
   "These next couple games are going to have an impact for the seeding for the county tournament," Zenerovitz said. "A couple of seeds here and there, and you face a team you have a chance to surprise."