Lawrence shows fire down stretch

If only the season had started a month later.

That is what Lawrence boys’ basketball head coach Lou Robinson was lamenting after watching his team put a huge scare into Conference A-III foe Lynbrook down the stretch last Saturday before ultimately falling 47-42. The 47 points tied a season low for the Owls, who moved to 11-3 after the victory.

The Golden Tornadoes had won two of their previous three games after starting 2-8. But Lawrence hung tough at times during its five-game losing streak from Dec. 21 to Jan. 9 by falling to its opponents by single digits in three of them.

Robinson noted that the Lawrence football team advanced to the Long Island Class III championship in late November and played just six days before the basketball regular-season started, and several of his players were on that squad as well. The time it took for the basketball team to jell and learn the offensive and defensive schemes following the gridiron run proved to be instrumental in the slow start in games and the season.

“For those guys to go through football workouts and then come to basketball practice and be limited in what they can actually do physically and get an understanding of what we’re putting in the first two weeks, it’s difficult,” Robinson said. “It sets you back.”

The offense is led by the 1-2 punch of junior Keaton Goldsby and senior Hector Retana. Goldsby was shifted from point guard to shooting guard during the season and is among the Nassau County leaders with a 16-point scoring average. He has five games of 20 points or more, including a season-high 29 against Great Neck North on Dec. 28.

“I think he is probably one of the best slashers in the county,” Robinson said. “He’s definitely a score-first kid. He started shooting better [and] the percentages went way up after [the shift].”

Retana was moved to small forward this season after struggling to play center in an undersized lineup in 2016-17. Robinson said the shift has given Retana a chance to show what he is capable of doing offensively. 

“He is probably the best shooter on the team,” Robinson said. “[Against Lynbrook], he hit five 3’s.”

But finding a third offensive source has been problematic for Robinson. Senior Isaiah Godwin is the team’s top 3-point threat, he had four before finishing with 17 points against Division on Jan. 18, but is averaging just over six points a game. Junior Norell Folawiyo and senior Kevin Nilisa both stand 6-foot-4 and are capable of producing double-doubles with their rebounding and power scoring abilities.

Robinson estimates that it will take three more conference wins in four tries to have a shot at the playoffs. Following a non-conference game against Oceanside  this Sunday at Nassau Coliseum, the Golden Tornadoes will host conference-leading Floral Park, which beat Lawrence by 24 points earlier this season, on Jan. 30 before visiting Wantagh and Valley Stream North. The season concludes on Feb. 10 at home against Bethpage.