Albemarle boys lacrosse had to go back to the drawing board a little bit this week when they found out Sam Mallow was going to be out for the rest of the season.
“We’ve lost Sam and we’re not real deep,” said Albemarle coach Dave King. “That was our first test and we’re trying to figure out what to do and how to plug holes with one less offensive player.”
At least on Thursday night, the Patriots adjusted well, beating Massaponax 12-6 in the North/West Group quarterfinals with a decisive 7-2 first half performance leading the way.
Lorenz Brown was a big reason for that strong first half, scoring five of his game-high seven goals in the opening half. With Mallow out of the lineup, the Patriots will lean even more on the Tusculum-bound senior than they already were.
Alec Kelly, who had a goal and two assists, also had to jump in with Connor Warner out of the lineup, and played well. Andrew Scanlon also helped get the offense going with three assists. The freshman is starting to emerge as a key playmaker for the Patriots.
“He’s been playing better, he started well and then there was a lull midseason and now he’s coming back at the right time,” King said.
Albemarle’s decisive win was particularly impressive because Massaponax held a sizeable advantage on faceoffs with a 14-6 split in the Panthers’ favor. Albemarle’s defense stepped up in a big way, forcing 11 turnovers while Ryan Richardson made 13 saves in the cage.
“What a surprise, all season,” King said. “Ryan has been great and he deserves it. He’s committed to being a great lacrosse player and a good student at Albemarle.”
Albemarle will square off with the Brooke Point/North Stafford winner in the group semifinals Monday.
