RallyNorth.net

Turnovers kill Lawrence in opener

Wednesday, December, 12 By Hector Longo
Staff writer

At least Lawrence High coach Paul Neal was honest with himself and his team.

"I think we had more turnovers than shot attempts," said Neal, whose youthful Lancers led much of the way but ultimately fell to East Boston, 66-62, last night.

"That's what inexperience brings. We just have to take better care of the basketball."

The Lancers saw a 46-40 lead dissipate in the third quarter and couldn't match Eastie, which went 7 of 12 from the foul line in the last two minutes to put it away.

Down 62-60 with a half minute to play, Eastie's Stanley Green stole a Lawrence pass and hit the breakaway layin to basically ice it.

"We were walking around a little on defense," added Neal. "When we needed stops, we couldn't get them. That's what we have to do to win."

On the bright side for Lawrence, senior forward Mariano Fortunato returned from last year's debilitating knee injury and looked fluid on the floor, finishing with eight points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Point guard Justin Nieves led the Lancers with 19 points. Jose Berroa added 10 points, while Jorge Escoto chipped in nine points and nine rebounds.

"Mariano played OK, but I was looking for my seniors to step up when we needed them most," said Neal. "We have a lot of room for improvement. We didn't box out and we put them on the foul line. You're not going to win games doing that." The Lancers next travel to Methuen on Friday night.