January 17, 2011 · 9:44 pm
Colin Smith (#30) feels some of the tight Lawrence Academy second half defense.
(Byfield) A rousing second half by the visiting Lawrence Academy Spartans sent them past Governor’s Academy, 71-47, on Monday evening.
LA (5-6) had an 18-2 run over six minutes late in the second half and turned a competitive game (53-41) into a blowout (71-43) with 2:15 left. GA (3-4) scored the last four points of the game but this one, by then, was in the bag for the Spartans.
The last time I saw Lawrence Academy was on March 7th at Endicott College when they, led by Shabazz Napier (now at Uconn), completed a 29-0 season with a win over St. Mark’s in the Class C New England championships. I learned before today’s game that the stars from that team had moved on.
In this game, the visitors from Groton allowed GA to hang around in the first half (38-32) by being long-range happy (fifteen 3-point attempts). The Spartans had the slashers and inside presence to do better and they did in the second half. Their inside game earned them a steady flow of high percentage shots or free throws. On the other end, the Spartans forced GA into low percentage shots and dominated the boards.
GA had no more easy shots after halftime warm-ups. They were defensed into a lot of one-and-done’s and were a dismal 6-for-35 on shots attempted (17%) in the second half.
In thirty-four second half possessions the home team had only five second chances. LA was obviously great on the glass.
James Gomes of Governor’s Academy
Senior James Gomes paced the Govs, as he usually does, with eighteen points. It is no mystery that he is their main scoring threat. The 5-11 senior creates his own offense. He appeared to have some sort of thigh problem in the second half. He was the only Gov to reach double figures.
The Spartans were led by Johnnie Vassar and Clay Horne. Both had fifteen points. Johnnie was a fearless slasher despite his guard size. Clay was a finisher near the basket.
Clay Horne – two straight dunks in the second half
Clay had consecutive highlight dunks late in the second half. The first was a one-stepper when a teammate penetrating found him alone in close. The second was a putback on a missed shot. I had my camera. If I’d only known!
The Spartans also had double digit scoring from Marcus Grant (12) and Dan Giovacchini (11).
This game was a far cry from the no-students, Hebron game I last saw at Governor‘s. Plenty of students around this time.
On-the-scene tidbits: Before the game started a GA authority figure moved a collection of male students from behind the Lawrence bench probably to prevent some unkind verbal exchanges. Later a collection of female GA students sat behind the Lawrence bench and, doing my eavesdropping best, I heard that one of the Gov players had lost his girlfriend!
(I keep my own stats and take my own pictures. I avoid interviewing participants. All conclusions and statistics are subject to unintentional error as a result on my part.)
Filed under Governor's Academy, Lawrence Academy
Tagged as Clay Horne, Colin Smith, Dan Giovacchini, Governors' Academy, Groton, James Gomes, Johnnie Vassar, Lawrence Academy, Marcus Grant, Shabazz Napier
March 7, 2010 · 10:28 pm
(Beverly) I took in the Class C and Class B finals in the NEPSAC boys’ tournament at Endicott on Sunday afternoon.
The athleticism and action of these prep stars is always a treat. Hardcore fans know that warm-ups will usually produce highlight-reel dunking shows.
Stars of the future take part. A few years ago, Andray Blache was on hand for South Kent.
Jaymie Spears – The former Georgetown High player, now with St. Mark’s School had a long afternoon in the Class C finals against Lawrence Academy
I went to see Jaymie Spears, formerly of Georgetown High School. I was pleased to see that not only was he on the St. Mark’s Lions roster but he was also a starter.
Once the game started, however, the former MVP of the Cape Ann League as a sophomore, had a nightmare game.
The Lions lost 55-43 and struggled against the spirited defense of undersized Lawrence Academy. Jaymie got into trouble early with three turnovers that led to a couple of baskets.
The third turnover raised the frustration level of Coach Dave Lubick because Jaymie tried to go behind his back down the lane, was stripped and LA got a layup.
Jaymie had a steal and a rebound in the second ten minutesof the first half but missed two free throws, a trey, and a jumper from the left. However, St. Mark’s trailed just 22-20 at the half.
The second half didn’t go well either. Jaymie had good looks at a couple of three’s in the first five minutes and missed, getting pulled immediately after the second miss. He had a couple of more looks at three’s later in the game and reluctantly shot them and missed both. He did make two free throws in the last minute.
Therefore, he ended up with an unimpressive 0-for-6 shooting and three turnovers. However, he’s a sophomore at St. Mark’s and getting a chance to play with top-flight players. One of the seniors has a scholarship to Georgetown.
Shabazz Napier (#10) of Lawrence Academy hangs in for a layup versus St. Mark’s
The dazzler for St. Lawrence (29-0) was Shabazz Napier. This guard is listed as a junior and I can assure you that D1 colleges know all about him. He’s a great defender with speed to get open anywhere he wanted to. His passing was noteworthy as well. He was the MVP of the tourney.
I also saw Tilton School avenge an earlier loss to Marianapolis Prep School (Thompson CT) with a 69-61 win.
Tilton took control early and had depth that was amazing. They started great players, went to the bench, and brought in more great players. They put on an eye-catching pregame show with a freshman named Goodluck Okonoboh (6’7”) and a junior (Ryan Canty) displaying a variety of jams.
Ryan (6’9”) was a dominating presence. He is not only tall but also big and strong. Marianapolis had no one who could deal with him. During the game he did take a very hard fall on a breakaway when one of the Marianapolis players clobbered him to the ground. No foul was called and Ryan got up and played on.
Gerald Coleman (20 points) of Tilton is heading for Providence and it won’t take him long to get there with his speed! This was another player with all the ingredients to be great – shooter, quick, defender, and passer.
Gerald was the MVP of the Class B tournament.
McClelland Miscellanea 
