Larenzo Jerkins scored a team-high 26 points in Neumann-Goretti’s Catholic League Tournament win over Archbishop Carroll on Friday night. (Photo: Josh Verlin/CoBL file)
By Justin Procope
Larenzo Jerkins knows the importance of setting a tone.
The first drop of sweat had yet to emerge on the forehead of the chiseled 6-foot-5 junior before he was up in the grill of 6-9 Archbishop Carroll forward Drew Corrao, daring him to try to score on him.
“We needed somebody to set the tone, show that we’re here and we’re not gonna leave,” Jerkins said. “So in order to set that tone, I need to show examples. I need to block shots, I need to yell in people’s ear. I need to do anything possible to get that juice going for us and to up uplift us.”
Neumann-Goretti needed every ounce of his intensity down the stretch Friday night against a young and talented Caroll team eager to make a name for itself.
With the game hanging in the balance late and Neumann-Goretti clinging to a single-digit lead, it was Jerkins who made the biggest plays in the final period. None bigger than the two free throws he knocked down with the same composure and maturity he has off the court to put his team up five with just five seconds left in the contest.