RallyNorth.net

Lawrence rallies in fourth

Tuesday, February, 11 By Jeff Hamrick

LAWRENCE – After struggling offensively for the better part of three quarters, the visiting Lancers were staring at a six-point deficit entering the fourth Tuesday night.

That’s when Lawrence coach Moose Moore got to the heart of the matter with his squad.

“Honestly, I just challenged my guys,” Moore said after watching his team shoot 28.6% from the floor while scoring 31 points the first 24 minutes. “I challenged their grit. I challenged their toughness. I challenged my seniors to step up, and they responded. And for the most part this season they have.”

With Gabriel Zorrilla igniting the offense, the Lancers rallied by scoring 16 of the quarter’s first 18 points before Brandon Goris secured matters from the line for a 56-47 victory over Central Catholic. It was Lawrence’s third win of the season over the Raiders, who finish the regular season 9-5 in MVC play and 14-6 overall.

Zorrilla, who had been held to seven points, began the fourth with a jumper from the lane. He then scored six of Lawrence’s next seven points, giving the Lancers the lead for good at 40-39 on a put back with 4:46 remaining.

“We were down, and we had to come back and play,” Zorrilla said. “This game means a lot. It’s going to help us gain a little momentum going into the state tournament. And we have a little rivalry with Central, too. So, it’s good to get the win.”

Zorrilla was five of six from the floor in the fourth while senior guard Goris hit a three on his only attempt from the floor before closing the game by converting seven of eight from the line

“The seniors responded,” Moore said. “Zorrilla (who had been held to single digits the previous three games after a team season-high 34-point effort) hadn’t been playing well since he had a big game. I think it got to his head, but he responded tonight when we needed it most which was good to see.”

Both teams struggled, combining for 11 second-quarter points while shooting 21.1% from the floor (12 for 57) in the first half. But Lawrence, which had scored at least 165 points its previous two games, once again came alive when needed.

The Lancers (9-4, 15-5) have one game left Friday at Andover before seeing where the North sectional pairings are released.

“One of our focus points is just putting it all together,” Moore said. “One guy or two guys have great games, and then I don’t get great contributions from others. Then the next night it’s other guys. We’re trying to get it where we put together a full team effort for an entire game, and we’re still not there yet.”

Central, which received a team-high 16 points from Xavier McKenzie, will have a longer wait to see how it will be seeded. In the interim, the Raiders will be hoping to find some consistent offense as they saw their season average dip below 60 points a game.

“I don’t know what the reason is,” Central coach John Walsh said of the inconsistency. “We struggle when (opponents) play tough. Unfortunately, physicality really bothers us, obviously. If you look, all year we’ve struggled to score.”