By Rich Fisher, The Packet Group
PENNINGTON Dana Williams feels this has to be the year.
”We can’t just talk the talk this season,” the Lawrence High girls basketball coach said after Tuesday’s win over Princeton. “We can’t put anything off on inexperience. We’ve got to show it this year, and that’s our theme.”
After opening the season with losses to Allentown and West Windsor-Plainsboro North, the theme song started sounding better as the Cardinals knocked off two straight undefeated foes.
On Dec. 23, they beat a 2-0 Hopewell Valley High team, 62-56 to earn their first win of the season. Lynne Hurley had 20 points and Jasmine Bowen 14.
This past Tuesday, in the first round of the 7th Annual John Molinelli Holiday Classic, the Cardinals handled Princeton, 47-30. The Little Tigers, who sat three starters due to injury, came into the game 3-0.
Thus, Lawrence entered Wednesday evening’s championship game against Hopewell/Pennington with its first shot at winning a Molinelli title.
”This means a lot,” Williams said of reaching the finals. “I was actually telling the girls at halftime (of the Princeton game) that the Lawrence girls haven’t been to the finals in this tournament.
”So that was a little fuel for them. Let’s get to the championship game and have some fun. They brought it in the third quarter. I was pleased. They showed the kind of team they truly are.”
And Hurley was the catalyst, as she and Bowen followed their scoring feats against Hopewell by scoring 12 points each against Princeton. Hurley was a wrecking crew on defense with seven steals, most of them coming off the Cardinals pressure defense.
”We worked really hard on running the court,” Hurley said. “When we get steals off the press, that’s when we look our best. We knew our shots would start falling (after an 8-for-29 first half) but we had to step up our defense.”
Hurley had six points in the quarter as Lawrence outscored the Little Tigers 16-4 to open a 39-25 lead.
”I think the press brought us some energy and we started anticipating more,” Williams said. “We started playing the game we know how to play.
”I think at first we were just over-thinking. Once you start missing shots, the first thing you do is start hesitating and questioning yourself. But they shook that off.”
They have also shaken off an opening-day, 37-34 loss to Robbinsville in which the Cards had several chances to tie the game at the end. After losing numerous close games during last year’s 4-16 campaign, it looked like more of the same might be in store.
But with seniors like Hurley leading the way, things could be different.
”I’m expecting her to have a continued work ethic like she’s been giving,” Williams said. “She’s a captain named by her teammates, the leadership is great.
”She scores quietly. She scores lay-ups and hard-work baskets. That’s the kind of player I love to coach. She’s so coachable, a quiet scorer and the next thing you know she has 20 and you’re like ‘wow.’”
But Hurley isn’t the only threat, according to the coach. Daphne Ginn chipped in with eight against Princeton and has potential for double figures.
”That’s why it’s going to be hard to defend us this year,” Williams said. “We don’t have one kid, we have five, six seven, eight. I could go down my bench with all the positives.
”It seems like we’re all contributing. That’s what our goal is, for everyone to be a role player. We don’t need a kid to score 30 points a game. We’d like quite a few of them to get into double digits every game.”
And she hopes to do so, by playing solid defense that leads to easy offense.
”Our strength is going to be getting stops and running, getting stops and running,” Williams said. “That’s what we’ve been playing for and that’s what we’re going to keep hammering for. That’s fun basketball. The girls love it, I love it.”
If it works out, it will allow Lawrence to walk the walk this year.

