Fast-jelling Tigers at 9-1

In search of a fifth consecutive PSAA (Private School Athletic Association) boys’ basketball title in as many seasons, the road figures to be tougher to navigate for Lawrence Woodmere Academy.

“This is the most competitive the league has been in five years,” Tigers coach Jeff Weiss said. “We have to approach every game as if it can go either way. It’s good to be challenged every time you step on the court, and it’ll make us a better team over the long haul.”

A pair of newcomers — juniors Rokas Lapsys and Jake Lundenberg — “fit right in and jelled quickly,” Weiss said, and along with third-year starting senior Trent Parrish are the biggest reasons LWA raced out of the gate with nine wins in 10 games.

“We’re not big and maybe not as quick as we were last season, but we still run, trap and get up and down the floor really well,” Weiss said.

While Lapsys and Parrish, both 6-foot-3 forwards, lead the frontcourt, Lundenberg has proven a key addition at point guard. Lundenberg has a steady handle and a consistent shot, and his ability to stretch the defense was just what the offense needed, Weiss said. “Jake knows his role and is doing a really nice job,” Weiss said. “He has 29 threes in 10 games and even though Rokas and Trent are hard to guard, it’s important for us to have someone to knock down shots from the perimeter.”

Lundenberg, who is averaging 15 points and 6.5 assists, enjoyed a four-game stretch that saw him hit 18 shots from behind the arc, and he’s hit at least one trey in every game including a hard-fought 66-60 victory at Staten Island Academy Jan. 5. Junior Tristan Braverman dialed long distance three times and added three free throws for a career-high 12 points, while Parrish had 22 points, 11 rebounds and eight steals.

Parrish and Lapsys are averaging 22 points and double digits in rebounds — 11 and 12 per game, respectively — per game and giving opponents fits in the paint. Parrish makes plenty of good things happen in transition, while Lapsys, a lefty, does most of his damage inside but also has good range. “They’re both athletic and strong,” Weiss said.

Lapsys had a huge debut, scoring 23 of his game-high 34 points in the second quarter of the Tigers’ 82-56 victory over Our Savior Lutheran in the PSAA opener for both teams.

The tightest PSAA game to date was a come-from-behind 73-72 squeaker over Bay Ridge Dec. 8. Lapsys hit for 34 points in that one as well, and Parrish won it with eight seconds remaining after turning a steal from Lundenberg into a lay-up.

Balancing out LWA’s Big Three on offense is the work of senior Michael Licatesi and junior Jakob Cayne on the defensive end. Licatesi always gets the toughest defensive assignment, Weiss said, and Cayne, a talented three-sport athlete, adds to the scrappiness.

“We’re focused on defending the league title,” Weiss said.