LAWRENCE: Boys hoops looks to get healthy for state game

By Bob Nuse, The Packet Group
   With its opening game in the Central Jersey Group III tournament just a week away, what the Lawrence High boys basketball team needs most right now is a chance to get healthy.
   The Cardinals have been battling illness throughout the roster for the last three weeks, and on Tuesday night were minus two starters as they dropped a 56-53 overtime decision to Hightstown in a Mercer County Tournament consolation game.
   ”We have two guys home sick,” lamented Lawrence coach Pat Tarrant, whose team fell to 15-8 and will close out the regular season on Friday at New Egypt. “It’s been going on for several weeks where guys have been missing. Something has been going through our team for three or four weeks. This is the worst we got hit today.”
   Playing without point guard Junior Austin and forward Corey Thomas, the Cards fell into a 30-23 hole at halftime. But they played a great third quarter, opening with a 16-1 run and eventually building a 48-38 lead midway through the fourth quarter. But Hightstown battled back and forced overtime before going on to the win.
   The loss was the third in overtime this season for Lawrence, which has played an incredible five overtime games this season.
   ”We’ve had more than any other time in my coaching career,” said Tarrant, whose team fell to Notre Dame in the MCT quarterfinals, 63-52, on Friday. “Our first two games went to overtime and we won. We’ve lost three in overtime. We’ve had five overtime games this year. We’ve been out of no games this year. We’re always in the games. We’ve just had a little bit of bad luck. We’ll need everybody against Neptune.”
   One positive to the missing players is it has given some of the ones on the bench a chance to establish themselves as the state tournament draws closer. They did just that in the loss to the Rams.
   ”A couple of those guys are juniors who have not played a lot,” Tarrant said. “And then some seniors got a chance to play. I thought Dave Schillaber did a nice job off the bench. I thought we played well after we got the lead. We just could not close it out at the end.
   ”We showed some fire and aggressiveness to get back into the game. We controlled most of the second half. We just could not close it out in the end. There were a couple shots we missed and we shot one too quick. And we had a tough time stopping Corey (Smith) at that point. We had contained him most of the game, but then he got hot.”
   Nick Brackett led the Cardinals with 23 points in the loss.
   Hopefully the sixth-seeded Cardinals can use the before the game at third-seeded Neptune to get themselves healthy again.
   ”We have plenty of time to get well,” Tarrant said. “We’ll go to New Egypt and play on Friday. And then we play Neptune on Thursday. We got a bye and then we go to Neptune. I just hope we get all of our guys back. We have not been healthy in a long time. We need a little luck. It has been going on for a while.
   ”Brandon is still not well. Junior is sick at home. Corey has been out a couple times. The guys who came off the bench, they’re good players. They played tough. I thought we had the game.”