Five Takeaways: Lawrence North vs. Lawrence Central
It is rivalry week and we already have our first major upset as Lawrence Central takes down Lawrence North, 66-57. It was there from the start as Central pushed the tempo and controlled the game. Led by D’Andre Davis and his 19 points, LC was in control the entire time. Jared Hankins led Lawrence North with 21 points.
Lawrence Central Impresses With Speed, Efficiency
This game was an interesting one because just one week ago we wrote about how impressive Lawrence North and their press was. Now, we see them get beat in the same way. Now, Lawrence Central also was extremely effective with their shooting in the first half and really held things in the second half but still, this was a little disheartening from the North side of things that they weren’t able to control this game with an overall better group of talent. Have to give credit to Central who shot the lights out of the ball and controlled things from the tip in a big rivalry game.
Pack, Terry Backcourt Could Be Huge This Year
Sophomore Nijel Pack and senior Jaden Terry are both undersized but are full of speed and aggressiveness. Now, LC had two undersized point guards last year but both were more of shooters than scorers. Terry and Pack are more scorers which makes them a little less liable to have down games. They also just had an impressive outing against a team in North that should be the most difficult matchup for them. Central’s backcourt duo set the tone and controlled things and while they aren’t going to be the best team in the state, they are more capable than we thought entering the year at being able to compete against the top teams. Mostly due to the confidence of their backcourt.
Lawrence North Falls Into Trap Again
Every season in recent history, we come in and Lawrence North has the best team on paper or close to it. They get a ton of talent and shouldn’t have much problem winning games. However, they are never really dominant because there is always a mental lapse or three and are susceptible to getting knocked off. This isn’t on one player or a coach but there has to be someone that takes charge during the game, notices things are getting a bit out of control, and leads this team back straight. They don’t have that right now, at least not one that we can visibly see. If they want to get deep into March, they need to find it because it wasn’t there last night.
Wesley Jordan Is Back But How Much Can He Help
It was great to see Lawrence Central (IN) junior Wesley Jordan back on the court. He missed all of AAU and the fall. Just now really getting on the court so he isn’t obviously an impact guy right now. I’ve never been one to think a player who isn’t a 100% at anytime during the season can get to that point during the season. However, he had a few plays last night where you could see him make plays like he used to. Where I could see him struggling is with his post moves. Don’t think he will move like he wants until he can rest and recover and strength his body. Jumper was a strength of his game before he went down as well but how many reps did he get and did he regain that stroke? Either way, his presence in the post will at least deter driving guards a bit and give LC someone who can finish in the post on dump offs. If he adds more than that, then it is a win through this season.
D’Andre Davis Stepping Into Role
Last night was a good one for Lawrence Central’s standout sophomores but the more impressive one was D’Andre Davis. He was very effective and playing more aggressive than we saw him this summer or last year. He’s a long, lean guard with size and some skill. His ball handling is key for him as an off-ball guard and he used it well to finish off plays. A lot of those came into transition but Davis finished at a high rate. Jumper looked clean as well. He’s got some upside but has to continue down this path, taking advantage of every opportunity. He isn’t a playmaker per se but contributes in enough areas that his stat sheet should always be full. He’s giving Lawrence Central another piece next to senior Donyell Meredith that can score on the wing.
PHOTO: Jared Rigdon