MADISON • All season long, Lanez Gregory and Sterling Harrell have provided a one-two scoring punch for the Madison basketball team, and Tuesday night was no different.
Gregory, a 5-8 senior, scored 21 points and Harrell, a 6-0 junior, added 20 as the Trojans took an 18-point first-quarter lead en route to a 78-53 win at home against Metro-East Lutheran.
Madison improved to 17-6, while Lutheran dropped to 16-12.
"That's definitely a tough scoring combo to guard," Madison coach Jaime Cotto-Rodriguez said. "They don't have similar games. One (Harrell) is a natural scorer, and the other (Gregory) does it by shooting the ball. "
A 15-footer by Harrell gave Madison a 28-10 lead with 32 seconds remaining in the first quarter, which saw the Trojans connect on 13 of 18 shots from the field.
"That happens a lot to us, but it says something about our defense," Lutheran coach Tim Reeb said. "At times we're just not ready to play. The first quarter set the tempo for the game, and it was an uphill battle from then on."
Gregory had 10 points and Harrell eight in the first quarter.
"My teammates were finding me in the open spots, and I was knocking down shots," Gregory said. "We had a team meeting and we worked stuff out. The Mater Dei loss (70-46 on Friday) frustrated us a little bit, but we brought it back together."
Madison's scoring slowed down in the second quarter, but a layup by Armel Gines, off a pass from Demetrius Kirkwood, gave the Trojans a 38-18 halftime lead.
"I don't think their press hurt us, but the second and third chances and the long rebounds, they got them all," Reeb said. "What impresses me most is how they're so quick to the ball."
A layup by Gregory made the score 51-27 with 3:33 to play in the third quarter.
Lutheran got within 53-36 on a free throw by Tyler Moore with 1:29 left in the quarter, but the Knights couldn't get any closer.
"We started off strong, but we have to keep it up," Harrell said. "We started to fall apart for a little while, but we called a timeout and picked it back up."
Moore led Lutheran with 16 points. Brandon Niemeier added 10.
"We had some good shots, but we just didn't finish them," Reeb said. "It's tough to come back against a team like that."
