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Lawrence Lancers Girls Basketball '09-'10

Tue, Dec 22, 2009 06:00 PM @ Lawrence
Team 1 2 3 4 Final
Methuen 17 27 25 18 87
Lawrence 17 15 14 14 60

Methuen's Agboola joins 1,000-point club

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METHUEN — Methuen senior Rashidat Agboola had to sweat to earn her 1,000th career point yesterday against Lawrence in the first round of the Greater Lawrence Girls Christmas Tournament.
Agboola and her teammates struggled to get the ball past halfcourt in the first quarter against Lawrence’s full-court press defense and trailed the Lancers 15-3 after just two minutes.  
“I knew I needed to step up for my team,” Agboola said. “We were down and I needed to do something.”
The Boston University recruit led the Rangers on a 9-0 run in the final 2:20 of the quarter, scoring six points in the paint during the stretch to help Methuen tie the score.
Agboola and Methuen remained hot in the second quarter. They outscored Lawrence 27-15, and from there rolled to a 87-60 victory in the first round of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Andover routed Salem 73-34 in the other first-round game.
Andover and Methuen will meet Monday in the semifinals.
Agboola scored 26 points and went over 1,000 with 3:55 left in the first half when she collected a defensive rebound and then dribbled all the way down the court for the score.
Coach Karen McLaughlin immediately called a timeout after the ball sailed through the net and gave her star senior a big hug.   
“I knew it would come tonight and I made arrangements with the Lawrence coach that we would take a timeout,” McLaughlin said. “She’s just an amazing kid. One of a kind. A coach’s dream. The total package. She’s first an excellent student. We can’t forget that. She’s in the top five percent of her class academically. ... So first and foremost she’s a student. As an athlete, she’s just incredible. The way she works at practice every day you’d think she was the low man on the totem poll.”
Agboola received balloons and flowers from her proud parents minutes after the game.
“After I scored it, it just felt kind of unreal,” said Agboola, who now has 1,013 career points.
Agboola also collected eight rebounds. Two of her three field goals on the 9-0 run were putbacks.
The 6-foot Agboola actually has been playing some point guard. “We knew that (position) was our weakness and having her take the ball up helps,” McLaughlin said.
Lawrence coach Dan Blouin added about Agboola: “She’s very quick and athletic and she uses that to her advantage. She knows where she wants to get the basketball and she works hard to get there.”
Rachel Condon, the co-captain with Agboola, scored 10 points despite a sprained ankle.
She didn’t start because of the injury, but netted a 3-pointer on the 9-0 run to tie the score 17-17.
“I never not want to play,” Condon said. “I’m just glad I can help out in anyway I can.”
Ashley LeBlanc scored 20 points, grabbed 12 rebounds, had four assists and swatted four shots.
“Having her step up like that is going to make us stronger,” Agboola said. “It’s going to give us so many more options. ... It obviously takes some of the pressure off me and everyone else.”
Lawrence senior Ashleigh Greer scored a game-high 27 points.
“We’re young, we’re getting better, but depth is tough for us,” Blouin said.

Methuen 87, Lawrence 60
Lawrence (60): Tejeda 1-0-2, Sicard 3-0-6, Valentin 1-0-2, Gonzalez 3-0-6, Nunez 2-0-4, Rodriguez 4-1-9, Santiago 0-4-4, Greer 11-2-27, Ozuna 0-0-0, Roman 0-0-0, Gudiel 0-0-0, Lopez 0-0-0. Totals: 25-7-60
Methuen (87): Levesque 1-0-2, Condon 4-0-10, LeBlanc 8-4-20, Grenier 1-0-2, Newell 2-0-4, Costa 5-1-16, Scarelli 2-1-5, Agboola 10-6-26, Petrow 1-0-2, Caterino 0-0-0,  Totals: 34-12-87
3-pointers: L — Greer 3; M — Costa 5, Condon 2
Methuen (3-1):    17 27 25 18 — 87
Lawrence (1-3):    17 15 14 14 — 60

Game Statistics:

  Lawrence (60):  Tejeda 1-0-2, Sicard 3-0-6, Valentin 1-0-2, Gonzalez 3-0-6, Nunez 2-0-4, Rodriguez 4-1-9, Santiago 0-4-4, Greer 11-2-27, Ozuna 0-0-0, Roman 0-0-0, Gudiel 0-0-0, Lopez 0-0-0. Totals: 25-7-60  

Methuen (87): Levesque 1-0-2, Condon 4-0-10, LeBlanc 8-4-20, Grenier 1-0-2, Newell 2-0-4, Costa 5-1-16, Scarelli 2-1-5, Agboola 10-6-26, Petrow 1-0-2. Totals: 34-12-87 

3-pointers: 

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