Things were slipping for Lawrence Academy. The Spartans held a commanding 22-point lead midway through the second half against Cheshire on Dec. 19 at the St. Andrew’s Holiday Classic, but it almost didn’t last. Calls went against them, the Cats started making shots. A seemingly insurmountable lead was cut to single digits, and it was getting uncomfortable.
But then Evan Mitchner stepped in. LA’s senior point guard led with his play and his voice. He switched on to the Cheshire players who were getting hot, making it his job to cool them down, and he pulled his teammates close in tight and stressful moments in an effort to keep them focused and poised.
“He just made sure everyone was cool, calm and collected,” LA coach Mike Foustoukos said. “Saying hey look, we’re in this together, we got this, we just have to control the controllables and not worry about the outside noise.”
Mitchner went on to make several plays down the stretch – including a tough jump-stop move at the bucket to go up six with a minute left, and a critical free throw moments later. The Spartans held on for a 78-75 victory on the strength of star Alex Egbuonu’s career-high 46 points. But they wouldn’t have closed that game without Mitchner. After missing significant time last season due to injuries, Mitchner is fully healthy, and his return has been a massive game-changer for Lawrence Academy, which sits at 6-2 and No. 10 in our NEPSAC power rankings at the winter break.
