Cardinal Gibbons secures regular-season crown behind Rhian Lawrence’s milestone moment

On the basketball court, Rhian Lawrence embraces passing opportunities. Cardinal Gibbons’ 5-foot-7 point guard has served a team best 5.5 assists per game for the Crusaders, who completed a second consecutive undefeated Cap Six 4A Conference regular season Friday. Cardinal Gibbons’ 63-16 home win over Sanderson in Father Thomas Frederick Price Gymnasium offered opportunities for teammates to pass to Lawrence.

With 1:57 left in the second quarter, Lawrence ran the floor, received a pass, and completed a transition layup for her 14th and 15th game points — the latter being the 1,000th of her Crusaders career.

“We didn’t want the moment to be passed up,” Cardinal Gibbons coach Cheryl Reid said. “We stressed to her what an honor it would be to get to that milestone.”

On a night when Cardinal Gibbons — North Carolina’s first integrated high school — acknowledged the legacy of the ongoing Black History Month, Lawrence etched her place within said history. She is the first African-American among the school’s 13 female 1,000+ points scorers.

“I was almost going to pass it up. I wasn’t even going to go for the layup that got me to a thousand,” Lawrence said. “But I could hear my teammates from the sideline saying, ‘Take it,’ so I did.”

Throughout the first quarter — in which Lawrence netted 11 of her 17 points — Crusaders reserves could be seen and heard counting down how many points Lawrence needed for 1,000. When Lawrence netted her milestone basket, the game was halted, and Lawrence was engulfed by her teammates.

“Until she got her 15th point,” Reid said, “her teammates wanted it probably more than she did.”

Lawrence, herself, outscored Sanderson in the first and second quarters, after which Cardinal Gibbons led 20-7 and 36-9, respectively.

Lawrence’s team-first mentality is underscored by her milestone achievement being realized even with her single-digit scoring totals in 11 of the Crusaders’ 22 games this season. Lawrence (10.1 points per game) has deferred some scoring to others with her high school career best 5.5 assists per game.

“Of course, you can assist. But let’s get this done,” Reid exhorted Lawrence during the regular season’s final stretch to 1,000.

”She sees the floor so well, and she’s such a good general on the floor,” Reid continued. “She got her 1,000th point while being that general on the floor.”

Lawrence converted eight of 14 field goals (57 percent), secured nine steals, and pulled three rebounds to go with her three assists. Lawrence’s 5.7 rebounds per game are second behind teammate Olivia Young.

“All the pieces of the puzzle were there tonight. That’s one big piece,” Young said of Lawrence. “She’s confident. She always knows what she wants.”

Lawrence, specifically, wanted to share this milestone with Young and Ava Palmgren — her two fellow four-year starters. The trio lost effectively half a season in a pandemic-amended 2020-21 playing schedule.

“It’s something all three of us deserve,” Lawrence said, “plus the rest of my teammates.”

Cardinal Gibbons (19-3), winners of 13 straight games, will pursue a repeat conference tournament championship during the week beginning Monday, February 13. Thereafter will be another state championship pursuit for Lawrence — last spring’s Championship MVP as goalkeeper for the 4A soccer state champion Crusaders.

“If me scoring is what we need to get there,” Lawrence said of a basketball state title, “then that’s what I’ve got to do.”

This story was originally published February 11, 2023 at 11:26 AM.