Lawrence knocks off Hewlett

Sophomore Dwayne Daniel scored 26 points, and junior Eddie Robinson added 21 points and nine rebounds as Lawrence knocked off visiting Hewlett, 72-50, in a Conference A-II boys’ basketball game Jan. 12. Hewlett got 23 points from junior Weldon Irvine.

Lawrence coach Joe Supple was pleased his team’s play, but said it needs some improvements. “We wanted to get out on the break and make things happen in transition, and we were pretty successful,” he said. “Hewlett did a very good job on the boards, so we certainly have to rebound better if we’re going to get where we want to be. I was happy with the pressure on defense, and the energy we brought to the court.”

The game was tight early, but a 17-4 Lawrence run, led by nine points from Robinson, gave the Golden Tornadoes a 28-15 lead midway through the second quarter. Irvine’s clutch perimeter shooting kept the Bulldogs within striking distance, as they trailed 31-22 at the break.

Any hope of a Hewlett comeback faded quickly as Daniel took over in the third quarter. The sharpshooting guard buried three consecutive jumpers from three-point land to give the Golden Tornadoes a commanding 44-27 lead with 2:08 left in the quarter.

Play got a little chippy in the final eight minutes, and the two teams spent a lot of time shooting free throws. Lawrence (8-2 overall, 3-0 in conference play) hit 10 of 11 in the fourth quarter to extend its lead. The Bulldogs were 21 for 26 from the line for the night.

Despite hitting the boards hard, Hewlett coach Bill Dubin sees the need for the Bulldogs (5-3 overall, 2-1 in conference play) to become a little more physical. “We need to get tougher,” Dubin said. “We thought we’d have an advantage in the paint, and we did rebound pretty well, but we didn’t finish. We were getting pushed off the blocks, and the screens we were trying to set weren’t solid. We’ll get it right. We’re a very young team.”