Lawrence defeats rival Central again, 51-47

For a third straight meeting, Lawrence showed its defensive mettle when it mattered most.

Marius Canery scored 16 points as Lawrence closed on a 28-10 run to beat Central Catholic for a third time this year, 51-47, on Tuesday night at Lawrence

High School.

Joey Hart led Central with 16 points.

“Our grit and togetherness is clear,” Lawrence coach Jesus Moore said. “Eight of nine guys played in the stretch when we were down and each contributed.”

Central Catholic held a 36-23 advantage midway through the third and appeared on the verge of pulling away but the Lancers came charging back.

Danny Reyes hit a pull up three and Jonathan Ocasio finished a nifty layup to spark an 11-0 run for the Lancers to trim the deficit to 37-33 after three.

As the crowd noise rose along with the temperature inside the gymnasium, so did the Lancers’ (19-1) defensive pressure. After Central Catholic connected on seven triples in the first half, it went ice cold from the perimeter, missing nine straight in a stretch that entered the fourth quarter.

Canery, meanwhile, hit two free throws as part of a 7-0 stretch that gave the Lancers their first lead of the game and Ryan Gunron finished in transition to give Lawrence a 48-44 lead with one minute left.

Hart hit a triple to get the Raiders back within two, but Lawrence came through with two consecutive stops around two free throws to ice the win.

“Both teams know everyone’s plays, sets, and tendencies,” Moore said. “It’s always a dogfight. You can have the best coach in the country, it doesn’t matter. It’s a players game.”

In the first half, Central Catholic was blistering from beyond the arc as it connected on seven triples. The last one from Rivera propelled the Raiders to a 29-18 lead at the intermission.