Reminded moments after a 99-88 win over Guilford Tech on Saturday that his team next faces No. 1 Louisburg, Lenoir Community College men’s basketball coach Bobby Dawson had an interesting, if not perfectly sensible, immediate reaction.
“Oh, Lord,” he said before giving a brief assessment of Louisburg’s size and talent.
“It’s going to be a dogfight, but we can go out there and make it a decent game if we just keep our intensity and share the basketball.”
Dawson’s Lancers (4-3, 1-1 Region X) withstood a valiant second-half comeback effort from Guilford Tech to emerge victorious in their first game since Dec. 8, a product of a lengthy break for exams and the holidays.
Today’s 7 p.m. contest against the Hurricanes (15-0) is the second of seven scheduled January games, four of them at home.
LCC dropped a 114-87 decision at Louisburg on Dec. 1, so the Lancers have an idea what to expect.
The Hurricanes, the nation’s top-ranked NJCAA Division II team, are averaging 93.3 points per game after Saturday’s 86-77 win at Patrick Henry Community College.
“We’ve got a lot to feed off of with them beating us at their place,” Lancers guard Isaac Brown said. “When they come to us, it’s going to be a different story. Hopefully, we’ve got momentum on our side and we can show them something, beat them.”
Against Guilford Tech on Saturday, the Lancers built a 19-point second-half lead before allowing the Titans to pull within four. LCC regrouped and pulled away using a high-octane transition game.
The Lancers know their mettle will be further tested today.
“If you want to be the best you’ve got to play the best,” Dawson said. “And we’re playing the best Monday night. We just hope we can get some things worked out and go at it a little harder.”
David Hall can be reached at (252) 559-1086 or at david.hall@kinston.com.