Darius Lawrence, La Roche ready to check next box in NCAA Tournament

Two free throws with 35 seconds remaining. The game, the conference championship and an NCAA Tournament bid were on the line.

So what was going through the mind of La Roche senior guard Darius Lawrence?

“Nothing, honestly,” said the Ambridge product, whose team trailed by one. “I shoot free throws literally every single day. I’d rather win the game at the line than with a shot.”

Lawrence made both shots, and the Redhawks nipped Penn State Behrend, 62-61, in the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference title game Saturday for their second title in three seasons. The victory gave La Roche (21-6) an automatic bid to the D-III Tournament, and it will visit No. 4 Wittenberg (26-2) at 6 p.m. Friday. The Redhawks never have won an NCAA Tournament game.

“(Winning) would mean a lot,” said coach Hermie Carmichael, a La Roche alum. “It’s just not enough for us anymore as a program (to win conference titles), and that’s what I love about this team the last couple of years. They want that next goal.”

On the final sequence Saturday, Lawrence got a screen near the top of the key, and Penn State Behrend big man Tyler Gates switched on to the 5-foot-11 Lawrence. Realizing his quickness advantage, Lawrence dribbled into the left leg of Gates and drew the foul.

It was the latest clutch moment in a season full of them for Lawrence. During a double-overtime victory over Penn State Behrend in the regular season, Lawrence made two free throws at the end of the first overtime to tie the score. He is shooting 82.4% from the line this season to go with 14.6 points (third on team) and 3.3 assists (second on team).

“I think my decision-making is what separates me at the end of games,” Lawrence said. “I’m just very comfortable in those moments. Whenever you make it more than what it is, and you put pressure on yourself, that’s when you start to do the wrong thing. I embrace the moment.”

Lawrence became the winningest player in program history earlier this season with 79 victories, and Friday, he will tie David Jackson for the most games played (109) in school history. However, points and minutes were scarce early on, as Lawrence never averaged more than 4.8 points in his first three seasons. He patiently waited behind a slew of talented upperclassmen.

“It’s very special for me to see because some of these guys could have walked away from our program, Darius being one of them,” Carmichael said. “But Darius understood his role. He learned more each year. He asked for more each year. And, by far, he has accepted his role the best of anybody I’ve had in my four years as head coach.”

Lawrence admitted doubt crept in during those early seasons, but he kept an eye on the big picture.

“It’s very hard to go from scoring 20 points a game as a senior at Ambridge to coming to La Roche and playing 10 minutes a game as a freshman and not really scoring,” he said. “There were many times when I didn’t really trust my ability anymore because I wasn’t getting those minutes I usually got.

“I talked myself out of it. I knew how good I was, but at that time, I was behind some great players.”

Fast forward to this season, and Lawrence is one of La Roche’s most indispensable players. Despite his size, he ranks second in the conference with 4.7 free throws attempted per game. He is shooting 46% from the field. The ball is in his hands at the end of games. And now he has a chance at more history.

“This is what we’ve been working for the past four years here,” Lawrence said. “Yes, we won a conference championship, but the next step is to win some games in the NCAAs.”