AUGUSTA — Little changed on defense for the Cony boys basketball team Friday night. The Rams came at Lawrence with their full-court barrage and forced 25 turnovers.
But the Rams took a more measured approach on offense and took the ball to the basket rather than settle for three-point shots. It added up to a 68-54 win that featured 40 attempts from the free throw line.
The win was an important one for Cony, which remains in the Class A North tournament picture at 6-8. Lawrence, which beat Cony in Fairfield earlier this season, fell to 3-11.
The Rams led from start to finish, getting 13 points each from senior Nate Parlin and freshman Simon McCormick. Junior Amahde Carter had a big game on the boards with 14 rebounds, seven of those offensive. Lawrence senior Mason Cooper led all scorers with 24 points.
“Early on I wasn’t shooting too well,” Parlin said. “So I made more of a point of emphasis to go to the basket instead of jacking up a bunch of shots.”
The Rams, who have taken as many as 50 3s in a game, shot 22 and made just four, but they made up for it at the free throw line where they shot 28 of 40.
“That’s more attempts than we’ve had in four games combined,” Cony coach T.J. Maines said of the free throws. “I think it’s a little bit inflated because we went to the line about 12 times in the last couple of minutes. We wanted to be aggressive and attack the rim off two feet.”
The Rams jumped out to a 13-4 lead, alternating five-man units every minute or so. But each time they threatened to run away, Cooper drew the Bulldogs close. He scored 12 points in each half, the first ending with Cony in front 34-25. The 6-foot-2 senior guard is averaging 25 points a game this season despite drawing a lot of defensive attention.
“Mas works hard every day on his game,” Lawrence coach Jason Pellerin said. “He’s been a good positive leader for us. Even when things aren’t going well he’s been there to make sure we’re keeping the guys’ spirits up.”
The Rams pulled away in the third quarter when they outscored 12-6, Parlin scored seven points in the quarter while Jake Dacus hit a big 3-pointer to make it 44-29. And they continued to force turnovers, 25 in all.
“Cony’s going to do that to you,” Pellerin said. “They force you to play at a speed maybe you’re not quite ready yet. It’s not that we didn’t want to play at that speed but we made mistakes at that speed.”
Jordan Roddy and Taylor Heath each added 12 points for Cony and combined for 13 free throws. McCormick, 5-3 and 108 pounds, made a couple of spectacular hoops in addition to playing harassing defense. He had a three-point play as he scored while falling in the lane in the first quarter and a double-pump layup in the fourth.
“I make it up on the fly,” McCormick said. “I’m a facilitator most of the time but tonight I was getting my own shot.”
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