With the game on the line and anxious fans in the bleachers, Lawrence Redmond doesn’t wilt from the pressure.
He welcomes it.
“When it’s clutch time, coach [Tim] Bankston makes sure the ball is in my hands,” said the Thornton Fractional North guard. “If the shot isn’t there, it isn’t there. [Friday night] it was there.”
Redmond hit a three-pointer from the corner with 1 minute 42 seconds to play to give T.F. North a 39-36 lead en route to a 42-36 SICA East victory over host Bloom.
The victory knocked Bloom from the four-team logjam atop the East.
“Conference-wise, this game was very important,” Redmond said. “We had to make sure we would take this.”
Redmond did his share for the No. 4 Meteors (15-2, 6-0) with a game-high 19 points. “My coach told me to use my legs, and I just used my legs, with more arc in my legs when I shoot,” Redmond said.
Demond Watt was held to three points, but the 6-foot-7-inch senior had 13 rebounds and three blocks. Forward Donald Pritchard hit two free throws with :24 left to secure the victory.
“In the fourth quarter we stepped up our defense and made sure we played tough,” Redmond said.
Guard Brian Conway led Bloom, which fell to 15-4, 5-1, with 12 points.
