Sports
Hawks Scorched by Piedmont in NCS Lax Battle
Highlanders dart out to early lead and coast to a 14-9 victory in the first round of the NCS playoffs.
With the rain bleating down in the third quarter, 's boys lacrosse team shifted into cruise control against Tam High. The Highlanders (13-9) rattled off four unanswered goals coming out of halftime on the way to a 14-9 victory Tuesday in the first round of the North Coast Section (NCS) D-II playoffs.
The No. 10 Hawks (8-9, 3-5 MCAL) gave up a quick 2-0 lead to start the game and never recovered. Tam ended its scoring draught with 6:43 left in the second quarter when midfielder Casey Hogan put a nifty move on his defender to give himself a clear shot at goal.
The Hawks also had a few scoring bursts late as Kevin Leake had two goals and an assist and Hogan and Eric Rothlind scored two goals apiece. had a goal and an assist for Tam.
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The Highlanders were able to create a cushion in the first half that paved the way for the victory. Piedmont's defense gave very few opportunities for Tam to test Highlander goalie Henry Anderson.
“We played smart,” Piedmont senior Jack Lally said. “I don't think we ran any offensive plays because we didn't want to give Marin Catholic anything to go off of. It was all off of exploiting the defense and intuitive play.”
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Lally was alluding to Piedmont's round two opponent: Marin Catholic. The No. 7 Highlanders defeated the second-seeded Wildcats earlier in the season by a score of 18-8.
The Highlander's intuitive offense Tuesday night was punctuated by Lally himself. In what was the highlight of the game, Lally nailed a behind-the-back shot off an assist from none other than his younger brother, Peter Lally.
“I cut around the goal and he gave me a pass that was too far in front of the goal so I put it around my back,” Lally said.
