Waldorf, MD – On Jan. 16, the Lackey Chargers Boys Basketball team traveled to Thomas Stone and went on a 14-0 fourth period run to defeat the Cougars 47-59.
A week before Wednesday night’s game, the Thomas Stone Cougars traveled to Indian Head and walked away with a two-point, 52-50 win, despite being down seven with a minute-thirty left in the game. This week, the shoe was on the other foot and it was the Chargers who came back to win.
The game started off well for the Cougars who went up by double digits multiple times throughout the night. It was a lackluster fourth period that allowed Lackey to storm back into the game. The momentum of both teams and the fans shifted early in the fourth after Eric Rowland (Jr.) caught a pass in front of the basket, rose up and dunked the ball down on top of two Stone defenders who were laying on the ground. “It gets guys up, it gets everyone else going,” said Lackey Head Coach Sean Fox of the play. The slam brought Lackey within a single point of the Cougars for the first time in the second half. Channeling that momentum, senior all-conference captain, Rasheed Cooley hit back-to-back shots that gave and then extended the Chargers’ lead. Cooley shared that he trusts his teammates and that they “trust [him] to take that shot and make it.”
Lackey’s defense was a large part of the win, only giving up three points in the fourth period. Thomas Stone’s top scorer, Gary Grant (Sr.), scored 27 points through the first three periods but didn’t score once during the last. “Team defense” helped Cooley and the Chargers shut down Grant. Cooley added “he’s a great player so you can’t just stop him one-on-one. You need help on all sides, we did that, and it helped us win.”
Thomas Stone Head Coach Dale Lamberth stated that the biggest difference between their first game against Lackey and the one Wednesday night was “turnovers.” Lamberth also commented on the momentum shift following the dunk, stating that a team needs to “counter” those kinds of plays with a defensive stop like a charge. Lamberth stated, “we didn’t counter it, we let it stand.”
Lackey improved to 8-2 and travels to Westlake Friday, Jan. 18 for their next game. Stone falls to 9-3 with the loss and will play home against McDonough Friday, Jan. 18, in a game that was rescheduled due to the snow.
Contact Jerold Massie at staffwriter@thebaynet.com.
