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Lawrence holds back Londonderry

Wednesday, December, 27 By Dave Dyer

METHUEN — One would be hard pressed to tell who won the opening game of the Commonwealth Classic boys tournament Wednesday afternoon as Lawrence and Londonderry left the court.

For the record, Lawrence remained undefeated (4-0) with a 66-50 victory while underdog  Londonderry (2-1) dropped its first game of the season.

And yet, while Lawrence looked great in spurts, it also had lapses that allowed Londonderry to remain within striking distance, particularly in the third quarter, when Londonderry cut a 37-24 deficit to 45-39 before the boys from the MVC pulled away a bit.

Still, it was no wonder that Londonderry seemed just as satisfied if not more so than the victors.

"We held them to 66 points, and they'd been averaging 85, so that was good," said Londonderry coach Nate Stanton. "I liked the way we got back in the game and we did some good things.

"We made too many turnovers but this was a good game for us, playing a good team, to see what we need to work on."

The way the game started, however, it looked like a blowout — which many expected — would take place. Lawrence scored off the opening tip and, led by Juan Felix Rodriguez, looked unstoppable in the first quarter, drilling 10 field goals and zooming to a 27-14 lead.

Rodriguez drilled three 3-pointers in the first quarter and had 13 of his game-high 21 points before the frame had ended.

But Lawrence never showed that consistency the rest of the game.