Sectional: Lawrence North vs. Cathedral
In the first game of Sectional 10, Lawrence North and Cathedral met as the 2nd and 3rd best team in the sectional. One of these teams would be going home on the opening night of the tournament even though they are two of the best teams in the state. Lawrence North led wire-to-wire before taking down the 19-5 Cathedral Irish.
Armaan Franklin was hot early for Cathedral but Kevin Easley and Jared Hankins of Lawrence North stayed with him shot for shot. Hankins repeatedly made three-pointers to answer any sort of Cathedral run throughout the middle periods of the game.
Lawrence North took a lead by as much as 11 in the fourth quarter but Cathedral never really any time of consistent shot to go down in order to pull that much closer. They made their free throws down the stretch to keep it out of reach and Lawrence North knocked off Cathedral, 71-63.
Best Offensive Player: Jared Hankins (Lawrence North)
Hankins didn’t have the highest scoring output on the night but he really played superb on the offensive end. He hit four three-pointers in the game, each to answer a Cathedral basket. He was able to get to the rim and made some really nice back cuts to receive a pass for a basket. Hankins is a threat once he crosses half court and that was on full display as he hit some bombs.
Best Defensive Player: J.P. Carroll (Lawrence North)
Maybe the smallest player on the floor in the game, Carroll was a menace on the defensive end. He had four steals and really gave Cathedral’s wings fits. Carroll was all over the floor; in the passing lanes, in his guys’ face, and starting fast breaks off the defensive end. Carroll is a solid defender who is a guy that comes off the bench and provides a spark of energy.
Biggest Surprise: Both teams were sloppy
Both teams struggled to put together any type of string of points due to the sloppy play. Both teams turned it over more than 20 times combined and Lawrence North came out with 11 steals leading to multiple baskets in transition. It seemed near the end both teams were simply letting each other score as there was a combined 63 points scored in the fourth quarter. Another game like this for Lawrence North and they aren’t getting past Lawrence Central, much less Warren Central.
Top Scorers:
Armaan Franklin (Cathedral) – 33 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists
Kevin Easley/Jared Hankins (Lawrence North) – 22 points
Score:
Team |
Q1 |
Q2 |
Q3 |
Final |
Lawrence North |
12 | 27 | 47 | 71 |
Cathedral |
9 | 23 | 36 | 63 |