Governor’s v. Lawrence Academy: The Pressure Cooker

<ol> <li>A Saturday afternoon contest between Governor’s Academy and Lawrence Academy was one of the more exciting games I have seen in the last few weeks. Down 5 at halftime, Governor’s turned up the defensive intensity, holding Lawrence to 8 third-quarter points, and went into the start of the 4th tied. A wild back and forth in the final frame led to a dramatic finish in regulation, followed by an intense overtime period which led to a 54-53 buzzer-beating win for Governor’s Academy. </li> </ol>   Player of the Game: <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/FD1637F6-E74E-4DFA-881B-7DC9D6274B36-scaled-crop-1852x1216-1645404253.jpeg"><img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-390400" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2022/02/FD1637F6-E74E-4DFA-881B-7DC9D6274B36-scaled-crop-1852x1216-1645404253-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /></a> [player_tooltip player_id="267115" first="Anique" last="St. Laurent"] - Governor’s Academy- 5’7’’ - PG - ’23 St. Laurent had a typical afternoon. A game-high 17 points filled with three-pointers from the parking lot, floaters, and tough shots off the bounce. The #1 reason St. Laurent received player of the game was that no one wanted to win that game more than she did. At the end of regulation, she flies in over bigger forwards, snatches an offensive rebound, and knocks down a layup to send the game to OT. In overtime, down 1, she goes the length of the court in 7 seconds through multiple defenders and drops the game-winning assist to Hayle McCarthy. The game-winning play by St. Laurent was impressive for a myriad of reasons, but most noticeably, her change of speed, clock awareness, and passing touch stood out the most. The poise and ball control she showed weaving through defenders and the unselfishness at the end spoke volumes to St. Laurent’s reliability in the heat of the moment.   Governor’s Academy Standouts: [player_tooltip player_id="299419" first="Julia" last="St. Laurent"] - 5’11’’ - SF/PF - ’24 If it weren’t for [player_tooltip player_id="267115" first="Anique" last="St. Laurent"]’s heroics, [player_tooltip player_id="299419" first="Julia" last="St. Laurent"] would have been an easy lock for "Player of the Game." She was the most impactful player on the court, and it started with her activity on defense. The game changed when she turned up the heat at the top of Governor’s 1-3-1 zone. St. Laurent’s wingspan and athleticism were intimidating and slowed down Lawrence Academy in the 2nd half. I was also introduced to St. Laurent’s slashing ability Saturday afternoon. The lefty hit some crucial buckets late in the game and has the shooting range to step out and knock down long-range jumpers.   [player_tooltip player_id="363768" first="Gracie" last="Augustine"] - 5’10’’ - PF - ’25 Augustine had a sneaky big game for her team. I love how she plays within herself and never forces anything. If the defense gives her a 10 ft. jumper, she takes it and doesn’t try to do anything extra. Augustine is a terrific offensive rebounder, is aggressive, and wants to battle in the trenches. She is a hard player not to like because she is willing to get her hands dirty and do what most players hate doing.   Lawrence Academy Standouts: <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-390484" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/10/0E48CD93-DD8A-4A1F-A6B8-248072B06C25-scaled-crop-1466x963-1645418091-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="300" height="197" /> [player_tooltip player_id="342247" first="Tegan" last="Young"] - 6’1’’ - SF - ’23 Young led Lawrence in scoring with 16 points and poured in points from all over the court. She is so versatile on offense and was efficient from the field. Her post-footwork and shooting ability are some of the reasons I rank her as one of the top players at her position. Young also is an adequate ball handler who is comfortable pushing the ball up the court and facilitating. She is a hard player to defend, proven yet again on Saturday afternoon.   [player_tooltip player_id="266520" first="Genesis" last="Garcia"] - 5’6’’ - PG - ’23 Garcia is one of the best point guards when it comes to controlling the games’ tempo. She did a good job playing with pace and orchestrating the Lawrence Academy offense from beginning to end. Garcia limited her turnovers, asserted herself and attacked the defense when necessary, and hit big shots in the 4th quarter and OT to give her team a chance to win it. I also thought she competed hard on defense. Her physicality off the ball was apparent, and she did a great job fighting through screens, contesting jump shots, and making Governor’s guards uncomfortable.   [player_tooltip player_id="390546" first="Morgan" last="Shultz"] - 5’8’’ - SG - ’23 Shultz came out the gates and provided some early scoring punch for her team. She finished 2nd on Lawrence Academy with 12 points and got them all driving to the rim. Shultz attacked with purpose and has the athleticism to snake through the lane and finish.