Lawrence upset in quarterfinals

The Lawrence boys’ basketball program’s dream of its first county title since 1968 will have to wait at least another year, as the Golden Tornadoes saw their tremendous season come to a halt in the quarterfinal round of the Nassau County Class A playoffs Feb. 22.

Junior forward Evan Dorman scored 16 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, and junior guard Jonah Gorjian added 15 points as No. 8 Great Neck North (15-4) upset top-seeded Lawrence, 55-51. Junior Randy Wallace scored 14 points to lead the Golden Tornadoes.

Lawrence, which finished with an overall record of 16-3, came into the game riding an 11-game winning streak, and was considered by many to be the favorite to win the Class A title.

Lawrence head coach Joe Supple gave the Blazers their due. “They came into the game well-prepared, and played at a tempo that gives us trouble,” Supple said. “Their defense was solid, and they seemed to hit all of their big shots. We shot the ball well all season long, so I was confident that our top scorers would come through in the big moments. The shots just didn’t fall for us.”

After trailing for most of the game, Lawrence took a 33-32 lead on a free throw by junior Clifton Lyerly with 3:15 to play in the third quarter. But, the Blazers embarked on a 17-4 run, highlighted by back-to-back threes by Gorjian to take their biggest lead of the game at 49-37.

The Golden Tornadoes battled back, and came narrowly close to tying the score. Despite taking an ill-timed technical foul, and scuffling all night from the perimeter, Lawrence cut the Blazers lead to 54-51 with 25 seconds to play.

The Golden Tornadoes had an opportunity to tie in the waning seconds, but couldn’t find the bottom of the net from three-point land. Sophomore Dwayne Daniel and junior Eddie Robinson each scored 12 points for Lawrence. Great Neck North advanced to the semifinals where it will take on Jericho.

Despite the loss, the undefeated Conference A-II conference champions had all five starters honor. Daniel earned All-County recognition, and was the conference Player of the Year. Robinson and Lyerly were both All-County selections. Wallace and senior Kwadwo Agyapong each received All-Conference honors. In addition, Agyapong was named the league’s top scholar-athlete.

Supple is looking forward to 2012-13. “We’re still a relatively young team,” he said. “We have three All-County players returning next year, which I can’t imagine anyone else in the county can say. The expectations will be even higher. We’ll take a few weeks off to get this season behind us, and then get started with some spring intramurals. I’m excited about our future.”