It’s a habit Young players know theyhave to kick.
There are times when the Dolphins play like nobody can beat them. Then there are times when they play like any old team could hang with them.
Luckily for them, they usually regain their focus in time to win close games.
That was the case again Wednesday in a 60-55 victory against North Lawndale played at Collins, a win that stopped a two-game skid for the Dolphins (13-3, 6-1 Public Red-West). Young trailed 47-46 after three quarters but outscored the Phoenix 14-8 in the fourth.
“Sometimes we just get lackadaisical with the lead, and that’s something we’ve got to correct,” said senior shooting guard Anthony Johnson, who led the Dolphins with 17 points and 12 rebounds. “I don’t think teams can just turn it on and turn it off like that. We need to fix it.”
The Purdue-bound Johnson was a good example. He scored 14 of his points in the first quarter and made all four of his 3-point attempts, but didn’t score in the second and third quarters.
Meanwhile, the Phoenix (13-4, 4-1) chipped away. North Lawndale 7-footer Paul Bunch had 15 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks, and Jermaine Winfield led all scorers with 23 points. Winfield also had 12 rebounds and four steals, but his 9-for-16 performance at the free-throw line hurt.
“That was a big problem for us,” Phoenix coach Lewis Thorpe said. “But it’s hard to beat a team with senior guards like Anthony Johnson and Ahmad Starks, who I think is the best point guard in the state.”
Starks, an Oregon State recruit, tallied 11 points and six assists, with seven of those points coming in the fourth. His pull-up jumper with 4:57 left capped a 7-1 run and put Young up 53-48.
“As seniors, we just know when to do our thing, and that’s usually the fourth quarter,” Starks said. “We know we have to be the toughest team mentally at the end of the game.”
