RallyNorth.net

Alicea holds the key: Lancer senior shoots down Andover

Wednesday, January, 26 By Hector Longo

LAWRENCE — Mediocre, very good or an absolute threat.

Only Jaylen Alicea might truly know which identity the schyzophrenic Lawrence Lancers will take down the stretch and into the upcoming Division 1 state tournament.

Last night, Alicea and the Lancers displayed their most lethal of hoop personas, as the Eagle-Tribune All-Star senior shot down Andover, 59-56. The victory keeps Lawrence's (6-2) slender hopes of an MVC large title alive, behind 9-0 Central Catholic.

"We know this was a big one, they beat Central, and it keeps us alive. The league is still up for grabs," said Alicea.

Ironically, Alicea was again uncharacteristically quiet as he slugged his way through another rugged (5 of 14) shooting night.

Something changed late, though.

The fourth quarter should send some shivers up the spines of the other Division 1 North coaches spotted around the fieldhouse.

When things got tense late, the ball found Alicea's hands, and three times the returning Eagle-Tribune All-Star delivered.

With 2:30 left he drove left and arched a high-banker home for a 54-51 lead.

Thirty seconds later, was the patented Alicea killer crossover and pullup 15-footer to make it 56-51.

Finally, when Andover wouldn't just disappear, furiously rallying to knot it at 56-56 inside the final 30 seconds, Alicea landed the kill shot. His pump and slide, one-dribble 3-pointer from the top drew nothing but cotton with 3.7 seconds left on the clock.

Andover couldn't answer, when Joe Bramanti's 45-footer caromed off at the buzzer, and Alicea and the Lancers locked up their biggest win of the year to date.

Victory leaves Lawrence at 9-4, still needing one more win to lock up a postseason spot.

Lawrence coach Paul Neal can point to the several positives out of last night as his team moves forward.

First, they didn't exactly get the benefit of the whistles, managing to play 32 minutes without a single free-throw attempt.

"I've never even seen a game that a team didn't shoot a foul shot, never mind win one," said Neal.

Second, Lawrence had balance with five scorers in double figures, led by super sub Allison Cueto and Dawrin Pereyra with a dozen each. Alicea had 11, while Yadoris Arias and Jesse Hiraldo each chipped in 10.

Finally, the Lancers prevailed without Alicea in high gear.

"I don't think he was even great today," said Neal. "If we're going to win, we need him to be a leader. He led enough to make a big shot at the end."

Obviously, Neal knows what Alicea means.

 "It's still not what we need from Jaylen for us to be successful. He's letting offense affect the rest of his game. He's got to grow beyond that," said Neal. "He's a key part of our program. He can make stuff easy for other guys, we need that. Sometimes he's too hard on himself. He's got to trust his teammates. We need him if we're going to win."

The key could be that trust.

"I have to get my teammates involved, and try to get it going on defense," said Alicea, who is shooting just 33 percent from the field on the year. "Make them believe in me, so I can gain my confidence. Keep my head up. Keep taking good shots.

"I don't feel like I'm running out of time, but time is getting short. We have a lot of big games coming up. It's time to  pick my game up."

Now 8-3 and 5-3 in conference play, Andover pretty much had any hopes it had for a league title washed away in the loss.

Joe Bramanti paced the Warriors with 19, including a courageous steal and coast-to-coast layin that tied it up in the final minute. Craig Luschenat added 14, while Sam Dowden (11 points) and Brian Salvesen (10) found their way into twin figures.

"It's a great win for them, a great high school basketball game," said Andover coach David Fazio, "At the end of the day we have to execute. We fought, we came back, we didn't execute and they had a lot to do with that."