Lawton, Yacoubou lead LuHi to Fed final
Long Island Lutheran's Achraf Yacoubou takes a shot during their game with Jamesville-Dewitt at the 2010-2011 NYS Federation Basketball Championships in Albany N.Y. (March 25, 2011) Credit: Pat Orr
ALBANY -- Dajuan Coleman of Jamesville DeWitt, all 6-10, 280 pounds of him, had the rim-rocking, backboard-quaking dunks. When Long Island Lutheran shot the ball, the only thing that moved was the net.
Coleman's baskets made more noise. LuHi's did more damage. The Red Rams had the thunder. The Crusaders had the lightning. And in a series of spectacular second-half flashes, Lutheran stunned the four-time state Class A public school champions, 75-71, Friday night in a state Federation Class A semifinal at Times Union Center.
"We had to use our speed and quickness," said Lutheran's Achraf Yacoubou, whose team will play St. Mary's Saturday night in the Federation "A'' final.
"We're a running team," Shaun Lawton said, "and we knew if we pushed tempo, he [Coleman] would wear out."
Lawton (24 points) and Yacoubou (19) repeatedly beat DeWitt downcourt in the second half and shot the ball well from downtown. After going 0-for-9 on threes in the first half, the Crusaders (22-4) were 8-for-11 after the break.
Yacoubou took over in the third quarter as LuHi erased most of a 31-23 halftime deficit. The 6-5 Villanova-bound guard scored 10 points and played scrappy defense on Coleman after 6-7 center Jordan Allen picked up his fourth personal foul early in the period. Back-to-back treys by Yacoubou tied the score at 46, but Coleman (29 points, 13 rebounds) banked home a shot that beat the buzzer for a 50-48 DeWitt lead.
The fourth quarter belonged to Lawton and Lutheran as Coleman couldn't keep up the pace. "He's a beast, but we know he doesn't run the court that well," said Lawton, who scored 18 points in the second half, including 14 in a fantastic fourth.
Lawton hit a trey and a pull-up jumper as Lutheran began the quarter with a 13-1 run to make it 61-51. His steal and layup gave Lutheran its biggest lead at 66-53. Then he shot 5-for-6 from the free-throw line in the final minute to clinch the win over the Red Rams (20-4), who beat Harborfields for the state public school title last week.
Lutheran also got a lift off the bench from Brandon Alford, who scored 11 of his 13 points in the second half, including three treys. "To do what he did on this stage shows what kind of talent he has," Lutheran coach John Buck said.
This was supposed to be Coleman's stage, as Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim seated himself behind a basket to be in plain sight. He is not allowed to recruit players now, nor can he speak about players he might be interested in. But it's widely known that the Orange, Kentucky and Ohio State are very interested. "He's the best player in the country in his class," Boeheim said of the junior. "He's a monster."
