In the second stanza it was more of the same with Red Hook making sharp, quick passes. The Raiders continued to grab rebounds and stiddle the Liberty passing game. At 6:13 in the period the score was 19-9 and Red Hook's lead went up from there. In the last few minutes of the period Liberty came back to close the gap and the period ended 31-20.
Liberty inbounded the abll at the beginning of the second half but the Red Hook zone continued to bother the Indians. At 5:42 Liberty called a time out after a 7-2 Red Hook run that made the score 38-22. Sophomore guard Spence Dalzell began to hit his shots scoring 11 points in the period. With 3 minutes left in the period the score was 44-27. Liberty closed the gap some so that the period ended with the score 49-37.
The Indians had to play catchup basketball in the last period. THey took chances on offense and defense and some of these plays allowed Red Hook to score easily. The Indians tried to get the ball back by fouling the Raiders but Red Hook shot well from the line. At one point in the last period the gap was down to 9 points but Red Hook was able to come back and extend the lead. The final score of 69-48 did not reflect how hard the Indians worked throughtout the game.
Liberty was lead by senior center Justen Mills with 14 points and junior gaurd Dustin VanLieu who also tallied 14. Dashwan Willimason added 9 points while Ryan VanLieu added 5, Ivan Rivera scored 4 and Trvor Tompkins was good for 2. The Raiders Kyle Hall had a game-high 20 points and Spence Dalzell added 18.
Liberty returns 5 of their top 7 players and there is a good group of JV players ready to move up. The Indians earned every victory this year and in doing so earned the respect of opposing players and coaches. The TEAM expects even bigger things next year.
O'Neill came out hitting their shots and running the floor. Connor Hinton picked up two fouls defending O'Neill's inside player. At 1:38 the Indians trailed 17-9 but it could have been worse. Ivan Rivera came off the bench and quickly scored 5 straight point. The quarter ended 17-16 in favor of O'Neill but more questions were generated than answered.
O'Neill came out fast again in the second period but Liberty switched to a zone defense which seemed to disrupt the Raider's offense and slow their transition game. At 4:22 Dustin VanLieu scored on a layup giving Liberty a 25-25 lead. No one in the gym knew that this was a lead Liberty would never relinquish. The athleticism of the O'Neill players kept them in the game but it was no match for Liberty's TEAM play and hustle. Liberty missed opportunities near the end of the quarter to really "up" the lead but ended the first half with a 32-28 lead.
In the third period O'Neill got the ball, missed their shot and Dashawn Williamson scored the first hoop of the second half. At 3:36 O'Neill called a time out with Liberty leading 46-38 and in possession of the ball. O'Neill began to loft shots from behind the 3 point arc and the shot began to fall. A 10 point lead was down to 4 again with 18.8 seconds in the period. A three second call turned the ball over to O'Neill but the raiders failed to convert and the period ended with Liberty leading 50-46.
Anyone in the gym that had followed the Liberty-O'Neill rivalry this year knew that the game could go either way in the last period. The teams traded baskets with neither team able to open much of a lead. At 3:00 liberty called a time out leading 12-10 in the quarter with a game score of 62-56. At 1:50 the score was 66-61 Liberty but no one was leaving the gym. O'Neill's quickness and three point capabilities could still put up points. The Raiders never scored another point and the game ended 73-61. Liberty had outscored O'Neill 23-15 in the period putting an end to the rivalry for this year.
Robert Dunn had 20 points for the Raiders with Ben Johnson adding 14. O'Neill's inside game was shut down by Liberty's defensive efforts. Dustin VanLieu had a game high 21 points for the Indians. Dashawn Williamson scored 18 points, had numerous assists and rebounds and played tenacious defense. Ivan Rivera scored 111 points coming off the bench. Trevor Tompkins took the ball up inside and scored 9 points with O'Neill players hanging onto him. Ryan VanLieu scored 8, Connor Hinton had 4 and Justen Mills put in 2 points.
This Wednesday, February 27th the 5th seeded Indians go to Red Hook to play the #1 seeded Red Hook Raiders.
Liberty continued to play tight defense in the third period and led the Dragons for most of the quarter until Cronwall made a furious rush near the end. The home team outscored Liberty 16-11 to take 56-27 lead into the last stanza. Liberty played their best defense in the last period but could not score until 2:25 in the period. Cornwall rotated players until their entire roster was used. The Green Dragons 13-9 edge in the last quarter gave them the 69-36 win. Orchowski had had 23 points and Silverhardt 11 for Cornwall. For Liberty, Dustin VanLieu led with 16 points as the only Indian in double figures. Connor Hinton had 9, Ryan VanLieu 6, Ivan Rivera 4 and Chris Lake 1. Liberty shot only 4 free throws for the entire game!
Liberty's post season will be determined Thursday night as the Section IX Class B brackets are announced.
The second period started in much the same way. Liberty got the ball and immediately turned it over to Goshen. After that, the teams traded basket but by 6:00 the trades look UNEVEN. The score was 15-23 Goshen. No one knew that THIS was going to be the pivotal point in the game! Shortly afterwards at 5:10, Liberty called a time out with the score 17-25. At this point the Gladiators had outscored the Indians 10-4 in the period. At 2:30 a Willie Green 3-pointer made the score 18-28 and the period ended with Liberty being outscored in the period 7-17. Liberty entered the locker room down 20-32. Dustin VanLieu STILL had 7 but Dashawn Williamson had filled in with 6 points. Liberty's poor 3 for 10 effort from the line did not help. Willie Green scored 9 of Goshen's 17 and had 15 points in the first half. Just as damaging was Eric VenderWeert's 8 points inside.
Goshen started with the ball in the second half and scored 6 unanswered points before Trevor Tompkins put in a bucket at 5:45. At 3:08 Goshen called a timeout to settle the team with the score 30-43 in favor of the Gladiators. By the end of the period Liberty had actually outscored Goshen by 2 points 16-14 but more would be needed to overcome the 10 point Goshen lead of 36-46.
In the last quarter Goshen started with the ball and by 5:27 had a 39-52 lead. When Goshen's Nick Skelly went out at 3:34 with an apparent leg cramp, the score was 44-54. Four quick Liberty points made the score 48-54 at 2:35 and a glimmer of hope shown for the Indians. At this point the Liberty players began to step up their game with their trademark hustle on both ends. Coach Semo instructed them to start fouling to get the ball. Unfortunately, Goshen has some good foul shooters and the final score left Liberty short 54-60.
For Goshen Willie Green had 18 points and did a good job handling the ball. Mike DeMatteo shared the ball handling duties and hit some clutch free throws near the end. For Liberty Dustin VanLieu had a game-high 19 points. Justen Mills put up 9 points inside, Trevor Tompkins took it to the hole for 8 and Dashawn Williamson's athletic moves netted 8 points. Ryan VanLieu added 5, Ivan Rivera 3, and Connor Hinton had 2 points. Liberty's 25% fouls hooting will have to improve to win the tough games they will have in the playoffs.
Liberty travels to Cornwall on Wednesday and then awaits its fate as the Section 9 Class B brackets are announced on Thursday.
In the second period the Crimson Knights showed why they are the fourth seeded D team in Section IV. Afton took the ball and began to sink the shots they had missed in the first quarter. It also seemed like they were out hustling Liberty by getting to loose balls and breaking down the court. By 4:48 it was 6-0 Afton when Dustin scored Liberty's first point on a free throw making it 23-11 Liberty. Things didn't get much better for the Indians as they were outscored 17-7 for the quarter. Winans hit for 7 in the period and Liberty went into the locker room at the half up 29-22. During halfime the rest of the senior winter athletes were honored. Coach Semo pointed out that the Indians needed to step up the intensity to match Afton and to cool off Winans by playing tight defense.
Afton took the ball out and scored to make it 29-24. Liberty was trying hard but making some bad passes. The Indians rallied though to go on a 6 point run forcing the Crimson Knights to call a timeout and 4:24 with the score 35-24. After the timeout, Liberty began to pick up the pace but could not keep Winans from scoring. Even with a hand in is face this Crimson Knight scored 10 points in the period. Afton's downfall was that the rest of the team combined for only 3 points! The 21-13 period extended the Indians lead to 50-35. Coach Semo had been subbing players in and out throughout the game but this lead allowed him to get he whole team in during the last period.
In the final Stanza Afton took the ball out and scored immediately. Dashawn Williamson answered with 4 point forcing another Afton timeout with 5:50 left in the game. The teams moved up and down the floor without too much scoring. Both teams played good defense and with 2:17 left and the score 57-39 both teams brought in many subs. To acknowledge the Senior players coach Semo brought in the all-senior team with 1:38 left in the game. The final score was 57-41. Bryant Winans was held scoreless in the last period but managed to sink 17 points. No other Crimson Knight hit for more than 5 points! For Liberty, Dashawn Williamson scored in EVERY period to take team and game honors with 21 points. Dustin VanLieu was only 2 points behind with 19. Connor Hinton and Ryan VanLieu each hit for 6 points. Ivan Rivera had 4 and Justen Mills 1.
Next week the Indians take on Goshen at SCCC with an opportunity to play in a "bigger" venue. At Wednesday they travel to Cornwall to make up a game against the Green Dragons who are the 11th ranked A team in the state! On Thursday the sectional seeding meeting will determine the Indians fate in the playoffs. With Burke, Red Hook, O'Neill, and Highland in the mix the Indians hope to break into the top four.
Tuxedo took the ball out at the beginning of the second period and scored. This was answered by a 3 from Dustin VanLieu and n4 quick points by Connor Hinton. At 6:00 left in the quarter Liberty still had only a 5 point lead at 16-11. By the time the last 3 minutes rolled around the score was 24-13 in favor of the Indians and the feeling was that the tide was turning. At this point Dustin and Connor had combined for 13 of Liberty's 15 points! The period ended with Liberty outscoring Tixedo 17-9 to take a 26-13 lead into the locker room. The second stanza was better than the first but Liberty was not showing the kind of intensity that they are capable of an either end of the floor.
Tuxedo began the second half with the ball but Liberty took it and Dashawn Williamson immediately scored two hoops. Tuxedo called a time out with the score 30-13 but the Liberty onslaught continued. It was obvious the Indians were now playing THEIR game and THEIR level! At 2:47 Tuxedo called another timeout with the score 39-19. It didn't help! Liberty's press and constant defensive pressure frustrated the Tornadoes as the Indians limited their own tirnovers and miscues. Liberty outscored Tuxedo 15-6 for the period to take a41 19 lead.
The starters came in for the last period for Liberty but Coach Semo quickly substituted ALL of his other players. This kept the score down AND gave those players valuable playing time. The starters and the bench and the crowd cheered theseplayers as they rebounded and scored. Liberty managed to outscore Tixedo 14-9 for the quarter to make the final 55-28.
There were few bright spots for Tuxedo who had no players in double figures! The Totnadoes shot 22% from the free throw line and committed numerous turnovers. Gaurd Dino Gioffre led Tuxedo with 9 points. For Liberty the scoring was a well-rounded affair. One plyer scored in one epriod and the next period another stepped up to make the baskets. Dustin VanLieu and Connor Hinton player and outside inside game and game up with 12 points each. Dustin did this without taking a single foul shot! Ivan Rivera had 9 points, 7 in the first period, but played an important role off the bench. Dashwan Williamson did the most damage in the third period scoring 6 of his 8 points. Dashwan had some incredible passes to teammates. He showed unselfish team play on both ends of the floor. Trevor Tompkins and Big Anthjony Rodriguez scored 4 apiece on the inside. Chris Lake, Pedro Alvarez and Steve Hewlett had 2 points each. Justen Mills rebonded and Ryan VanLieu handled the ball.
The Indians finish their season with a home game against Afton on Thursday. On Tuesday the Indians travel to Cornwall to take on the 11th ranked A team in the state. Why is Liberty playing this game? Teams get better by playing better teams!
In the second stanza, the teams traded baskets and turnovers. Both teams looked off balance but they stayed close to each other. Gilmore hit two long-range three pointers while Jason Corley hit three two point field goals. The Indians finally got an inside game with Hinton, Tompkins and Mills combining for 8 points. Dustin VanLieu hit for seven and at the end of the period Liberty was down 31-32. Which team would come out of the locker room ready to play? Could one team set up to keep the other team down?
The question of who came out ready was soon answered. Liberty made defensive adjustments and Fallsburg could not respond! Hinton and Tompkins went inside for 6 but the story of the quarter was Ivan Rivera. Ivan stepped up on defense by anticipating passes, intercepting the ball and making the shot or the pass. By the waning minutes of the quarter he had netted four 2 pointers and a free throw for 9 points with the entire Fallsburg team scoring only 6! In the last seconds of the period Ivan brought the ball across half court and threw the ball at the basket. NBN! The Liberty crowd came to it's feet as the Indians outscored the Comets 22 to 6 to take a 53-38 lead. The Indians knew that the Comets have great individual athletic talent and that a lot can happen in 8 minutes.
The teams traded baskets and fouls in the final period. When Fallsburg would mount a slight comeback, Liberty would answer. The Comets stayed close for the quarter as the back of 3 field goals and a 5 for 5 performance from the line by Buckner. Several Indians shared the scoring with Hinton putting up three field goals inside and hitting a free throw. Williamson had 4 and Dustin VanLieu netted 5. Fallsburg began to foul late in the quarter but it came too late. The Comets outscored the Indians 17 to 16 for the quarter but the final victory went to the Indians 69-55 as they completed the sweep.
Buckner from Fallsburg led all scorers with 21 points and a 9 for 9 performance from the line. Gilmore had 15 for the Comets. No other Fallsburg player was in double digits! For Liberty, Dustin VanLieu scored 16 points without much fanfare. He went 7 of 8 from the line and shared the ball handling responsibilities with his brother Ryan. Ivan Rivera scored a total of 14 points with 12 in the third period to bury Fallsburg. Dashawn Williamson also had 14 points. Connor Hinton reached double digits by sinking 11. Trevor Tompkins had 6, Justen Mills sank 4, and Ryan Vanlieu scored 4. Liberty's 63% from the charity stripe was better than some games but could be better.
What was the difference in the way these two teams played? Fallsburg has several athletically talented basketball players who can score and rebound. Liberty also has good, sound players who can make moves to the hoop. What's the difference? One difference became clear in the second half. The Liberty players have confidence in each other and are able to play as a team even when they are down to an opponent. When Fallsburg lost the lead, their players began to try to make plays on their own. When their teammates muffed a pass or missed a shot, other players yelled at them or gave them a "look". The Liberty players believe in their coach and his philosophy of "hustle"". They are not afraid to get on the floor to grab a ball. The bottom line is that "Good players make good plays, score points and rebound. Great players do all of that and more. They don't put other players down. They pull other players up." Coach Semo has said more than once, "Good teams find a way to win the games they are supposed to win. Great teams find a way to win the other games."
The Indians finish their regular season this week with a home game on Monday against Tuxedo and another home game against Afton on Friday. On Tuesday the Indians travel to Cornwall to take on the 11th ranked A team in the state. Why is Liberty playing this game? Teams get better by playing better teams!
The second half went much like the second half of the previous game. The Indians turned up the defense and began scoring again. DaShawn Williamson's athletic moves to the basket had the small Sullivan West crowd crying "Travel!" and "Steps!". The scoring for the period was 16-7 un favor of the Indians giving them a 44-31 lead. By the time the last period was waning the result was not in doubt and both coaches emptied their benches. Liberty outscored Sullivan West 14-9 to come away with a 58-40 TEAM victory.
After the handshakes the Liberty players celebrated their first trip to sectionals in 8 years! This was a TEAM victory with TEAM members stepping up on both offense and defense. This was a TEAM victory with tenacious, smothering, on the floor, diving for the ball defense. This was a TEAM victory with unselfish passes and great "looks". Sullivan West hit 7 three-pointers in the first game. Liberty shut down the outside game and allowed the Bulldogs to score nothing from beyond the arc. The only bright note for Sullivan West was the play of Story inside. Dashawn Williamson scored 21 points for Liberty in a winning effort. Dustin VanLieu scored 17 points, handled the ball and stuck to his man like...sticky stuff. Ivan Rivera scored 8 points coming off the bench. Trevor Tompkins and Connor Hinton shared the inside scoring netting 6 points each. Ryan VanLieu shared the ball handling tasks and played tight defense. Justen Mills was bothered by fouls but rebounded effectively inside.
Liberty is in action again Friday against the rival Fallsburg Comets. Now that they are in sectionals will the TEAM take it easy and relax? If you have any doubts about the answer to that question, you don't know this team and you don't know this coach!
The Indians settled down on offense in the second period but still could not get their trademark tight defense in gear. Dustin VanLieu seemed to get on track hitting two long range sots for six points. Ivan Rivera scored 4 and Justen Mills took it to the hoop inside for 4. For the Bulldogs Brad Reimer hit for two from the field and then converted 4 out of 4 free throws when the Indians tried to defend. Liberty outscored Sullivan West 16-14 during the period and the Indians trailed by only 3 at the half 30-27.
The Indians came out a different team in the third period. They began to click on both ends of the floor. This period was the Justen And Dustin show on offense. Mills put up 4 two pointers inside and scored two more off free throws. VanLieu hit two two-point field goals and converted three of four free throws.On the Sullivan West end only three players were able to score a bucket each. The period ended with the Indians outscoring the Bulldogs 19-7 to turn a three point halftime deficit into a 46-37 lead.
Liberty held the lead in the fourth quarter and padded that lead as Sullivan West was forced to foul and the Liberty players stepped up to hit their free throws. The defense was sound although Sullivan West did manage 17 points. This did them no good as Liberty netted 24 points. These points came from Trevor Tompkins who scored 8, Dustin VanLieu who went 5 for 6 from the charity stripe and the inside work of Mills and Hinton who put up four each.
At the end of the game Justen Mills had scored a game high 20 points. Right behind Mills was Dustin vanLieu with 18 including 8 for 10 from the line. Trevor Tompkins tallied 10, Ivan Rivera had 8, Connor Hinton and Dashawn Williamson put in 6 each and Ryan vanLieu added a two. RJ Rosa had 16 for Sullivan West while Chris Story had 15. The Indians visit Sullivan West this week and attempt to sweep the Bulldogs on their home floor.
As the second period began Burke looked like a different team. The Eagles scored the first seven point before Liberty answered with four of their own. at 2:35 an Undersinger 3 pointer gave Burke their first lead 17-15. The period ended with the score 21-19 in favor of Burke. The Eagles had turned the tables on the Indians outscoring them 18 to 9. DJ Gibson woke up to score 12 of Burke's 18 points for the period.
Coming onto the floor after the half the teams exchanged hoops and at 5:06 Justen Mills' 2 free throws made the score 28 to 25 Burke. Over the next minute Burke outscored Liberty 8 to 2 on the strength of Undersinger's outside shooting. By the end of the period Liberty was behind 45 to 32. The period saw both team's highest scoring output but the Eagles had outscored the Indians by almost 2 to 1 netting 24 to Liberty's 13. The only bright note was Justen Mills' OUTSTANDING inside work scoring 8 points and keeping the Indians close.
At 5:21 in the last period Mills had outscored Burke 5 to 2 and cut the lead to 47-37. A Dustin VanLieu 3 pointer at 4:17 made the score 42-47 with Liberty outscoring Burke 10 to 2. Burke called a timeout stunned by the Indians hard work on defense and tough rebounding under the boards. Dustin hit two more long-range shots and the Connor Hinton stepped to the free throw line to calmly drain to shots giving the Indians a 50 to 49 lead. At this point the Burke Players stepped up and showed why their team is at the top of the heap. Liberty did not score another point while Burke netted 10 more. Many of these points came off free throws when Liberty was forced to foul in an attempt to regain possession of the ball. Liberty outscored Burke 18 to 14 in the period but the Eagles came out on top in the end.
Burke was led by DDJ Gibson who had a game high 9 points. Chris Undersinger contributed 15 by hitting 5 three point baskets and Derrick Stanton scored 12. Liberty was led by Senior Justen Mills' inside play. Justen played BIG going up strong against taller players and tallying 17 points. Dustin VanLieu scored 9, Connor Hinton added 7. Ivan Rivera and Dashawn Williamson put up 6 each and Trevor Tompkins scored 5. The game was fast paced for most of the way. The Indians fought hard and committed some turnovers. They showed HEART and DESIRE. Come watch them take on Sullivan West on Thursday and Tuxedo on Friday.
After Port Jervis controlled the opening tap, Liberty scored the first two points. A few more trips up and down the court found Liberty ahead 5-2. After that Mason from Port Jervis began to control the tempo. He scored the next straight 5 points for Port Jervis. Smith followed with a massive dunk to give the Red Raiders a 9-5 lead. At the end of the quarter Port Jervis led 11-6 with Mason scoring 7 of the Raider's points.
In the second quarter Port Jervis came out and controlled the game for the first 5 minutes. With 2:35 left in the period Liberty was behind 21-10 having been outscored 10 to 4. For Port Higgins put up some inside shots while Smith and Mason took care of the outside. Liberty was not to be denied so easily! Over the next minute and a half Liberty struck back outscoring Port Jervis 8 to 2 and closing the gap to just 5 points! After the teams exchanged hoops, the score at the half was 25-20 with Port holding the same lead that they had at the end of the first period. No one on the Indians had more than one foul and only three players had scored for the Raiders. The Indians went into the Locker room knowing they could play with Port Jervis.
Liberty came out of the locker room fired up and ready to play. Some tight defense by both teams and offensive miscues kept the score low. With 3:45 left in the period Port still lead by a slim 29-24 margin. Over the next 1:15 Liberty denied Port Jervis and put the ball in their own hoop to force a Raiders time out at 2:29 and the score 29-28 Port Jervis. The teams traded hoops and with 15 seconds left Port Jervis was ahead 35-34. The Raiders held the ball for the last shot and converted at the buzzer to make the score 35-34.
At the beginning of the last period both teams could be optimistic about their chances. At 4:31 Port Jervis called a time out with the score standing at 40-37 and Port in possession of the ball. Port scored and then Liberty began to make mistakes that they could not overcome. A three second call and a walk gave Port Jervis "extra" chances. The Liberty players began to try to make individual plays. The Raiders scored the next 10 points and by 1:48 the score was 50-37. Liberty did step up their defensive effort and began to play as a team but the damage was done. The Liberty players were forced to foul to regain possession of the ball. Each team scored 4 more points giving Port Jervis a 54-41 win.
Dustin VanLieu led all Liberty scores with just 10 points. Dashawn Williamson and Trevor Tompkins had 7 each followed by Ivan Rivera and Ryan VanLieu with 6. Justen Mills' 4 points and 1 by Connor Hinton closed out the scoring. Darrick Mason had a game high 18 points for Port Jervis and Nick Smith scored 16.
The Liberty boys have a BIG week at home coming up. They take on Burke on Tuesday, Sullivan West on Thursday and Tuxedo on Friday! All of these games are TOUGH games! If Liberty is to come away with a wins, they must go back to playing as a team on both ends of the floor.
Liberty started Ivan Rivera, Dustin VanLieu, Connor Hinton, Justen Mills and Dashwan Williamson. Williamson was starting only his second game at the guard position after a good first effort at Goshen. Liberty started by scoring the first 7 points before Coach Crowe called an O,Neill timeout. O'Neill started to score and at the end of the first quarter Liberty had a 13-10 lead. Dashawn and Ivan combined for 9 points. In the second period the teams exchange baskets with Liberty coming out on top for the quarter by outscoring O'Neill 14-11. Dashawn had another 4 points but Connor Hinton came up with some good inside work to score 5. This left Liberty ahead 27-21 at the half. Throughout the first half many Liberty fans were aware that Dustin VanLieu need just 11 points to score 1000 points for his career. Dustin took his shots but they just weren't falling. He showed his class by dishing the ball to other players. Dustin scored 4 points in the half.
Liberty came out in the second half acutely aware of their difficulties in the third period in the previous two games. Both teams scored with Liberty opening a lead and O'Neill responding. Dustin got his rhythm in the period hitting a 3 and two 2's. With 2:58 left in the third period Dustin sank a field goal to get his 1000th point. The game was stopped so that Dustin could receive congratulations from his teammates and the fans. Liberty had a double digit lead at this point but no one who knew O'Neill felt safe. By the end of the period Liberty had increased their lead 46-38 by outscoring the raiders 19-17 in the period.
As the final stanza unfolded O'Neill began to hit their shots as the Indians went cold. With 4:17 left in the period sophomore Chris Outing from O'Neill hit a short jumper to knot the score at 46. This was O'Neill's eighth unanswered point. At 3:49 Rivera hit one of two free throws followed by a Trevor Tompkins field goal at 3:15 to give Liberty a 49-46 lead. The teams then exchanged baskets with Ponte hitting for O'Neill and Rivera answering for Liberty. Ben Johnson and Robert Dunn, two of O'Neill's best players then hit back-to-back free throws giving the Raiders a 53-51 lead. With only 48 seconds on the clock Dashawn Williamson tied the score with a 2 point bucket. Liberty called a timeout with 114 seconds. Neither team was able to score and the teams prepared to play 4 more minutes.
Ivan Rivera stepped up his game using quickness and hard work. Ivan scored field goals at 3:35 and 3:19 to put Liberty up 57-53. The crowd had been noisy all night but they were now roaring their approval. Dashawn then hit two free throws and Robert Dunn answer with a field goal for O'Neill to make the score 59-55. With 1:56 left in the game Williamson again stepped to the line and sank another two free throws. This was answered by the same kind of effort at the other end by O'Neill's Johnson to make the score 61-57. Johnson hit another shot at :45 followed by a bucket by the Raiders Broesler with just 13.5 to make the score 61-61. Liberty went to the "hot hand" and gave the ball to Williamson who sank at field goal to make the score 63-61 Liberty. The clock ran out and the Liberty team and fans went wild thinking that they had finally won. The referees had other ideas saying that O'Neill had called time out after the shot with 3 seconds still on the clock. O'Neill put the ball in at half court and ran an excellent play that left Johnson wide open! Johnson's shot could have tied or won the game. It hit the iron and bounced away. O'Neill players had to chances to tip the ball in and failed! The ball came out to the top of the key where several players dove to recover it. Time expired and Liberty had earned a hard-fought victory!
Dashawn Williamson scored a game-high 22 points including 6 of Liberty's 10 points in OT. He sank 9 two point field goals but shot only 4 of 7 from the line. However, when it count in OT, Dashawn was a PERFECT 4 for 4. Ivan Rivera rebounded from a sub par performance at Goshen by scoring 13 point including 4 in OT. Dustin VanLieu ended the night with 1002 career points and 13 points in the game. Connor Hinton and Trevor Tompkinsa added 7 and 5 points inside. Justen Mills had 2. Ryan VanLieu scored only one free throw but again played an important role in handling the ball against O'Neill's tight defense.
Liberty started the game with Justen Mills, Ivan Rivera, Dustin VanLieu, Connor Hinton and Dashawn Williamson on the floor. Dashan was playing at the guard position for the first time and had to cover Skelly, Goshen's best player. Goshen took the opening tip and reeled off 7 unanswered point before Coach Semo called a timeout to settle the team with 6:35 left in the first quarter. Liberty scored the next 3 points forcing Goshen to call a timeout with 5:24 left. From this point Goshen increased their lead until a scoring run by Liberty closed the gap at the end of the quarter. A long-range 3 pointer by Dustin and a 2 inside by Trevor Tompkins cut the Goshen lead to 18-12. Liberty balanced attack had five players with points. Steve Hewlett came off the bench to run the offense and did a good job. Despite the tenacious defense by both teams only one foul had been called on each team!
Liberty inbounded the ball for the second period and at 3:50 left to go in the quarter another 3 by Dustin cut the Goshen lead to 20-18. After a Goshen hoop, Dashann's two free throws had the score at 22-20. Two quick Goshen buckets forced Liberty to call a timeout with 2:41 to go. At 1:35 Trevor grabbed a rebound and put up a shot that knotted the score at 26-26. Goshen scored a hoop, liberty missed at its end and then Goshen scored again with only 6 seconds in the half to lead 30-26. Skelly had 11 points and Green 7 for Goshen. Liberty got 10 points from Dashawn and 6 from Dustin.
Liberty often starts the second half slowly but the teams traded baskets until Goshen called a timeout at 3:53 with the score 37-34. Goshen held the upper hand over the next two minutes but Dsutin hit a 3 with 35 seconds in the period to make the score 46-44. At the beginning of the last quarter the teams went scoreless for more than a minute until Trevor's basket tied the score at 46-46. Trevor then scored the go-ahead bucket at 5:38 to give the Indians their first lead 46-48. The situation looked promising but Goshen scored 8 unanswered points to regain the lead 54-48 at 3:12. At the end of the quarter Goshen's Green scored a basket at one end with Dashawn answering at the other end making the score 57-56. Goshen scored again to go up by 3 and things looked bad for the Indians. With 40 seconds left in the period Dustin knotted the score 59-59 with a 3-pointer. Goshen tried to score the go-ahead bucket by holding the ball but their shot in the last few seconds did not go.
With no player in foul trouble both teams entered the 4 minute overtime at full strength. Goshen scored the first three points but Dustin answered with ANOTHER 3 pointer to tie the score at 62. After the teams traded baskets, Goshen committed a shot clock violation with 30.6 seconds remaining. On the other end of the court Connor was fouled and made one of two leaving Goshen with a 66-65 lead. Goshen missed a shot and Liberty came back down with one chance to score. Dustin, guarded by at least two Goshen players, put up a shot that looked like it would give Liberty the win. It hit the rim, started to sink and then...rolled out. As the buzzer sounded Coach Semo told the team "You played a great game. Keep your heads up and shake hands!"
Player performances should not be judged on scoring alone but scoring is the easiest way to quantify a game. Goshen got 27 points from Skelly, 15 from Green and 12 from DeMatteo. Liberty had several outstanding performers. Dustin VanLieu had a game-high 28 points including 2 two pointers and 8 three pointers! Dashawn Williamson played great defense on Skelly and managed to score 18 points off 8 two pointers and 2 free throws. Trevor Tompkins added 8 points inside. Justen Mills also put up 5 points from the paint with Connor Hinton adding 2 free throws. Ryan VanLieu handled the ball well distributing it to other players.
At the start of the second half the teams traded baskets but then the O'Neill shooters caught fire. Johnson and Dunn hit from the outside while Broesler continued to make shots in the paint. Liberty continued to play good defense but a few turnovers and missed shots added to their woes. At the end of the third quarter it was obvious that the Indians would need a big fourth period. The Raiders outscored the Indians 21 to 10 in the third to take a 45-42 lead. Unfortunately, O'Neill continued to hit the shots they needed to make in the fourth period. Both coaches could be heard pleading with their teams to alternately push the ball up the floor and to settle the pace and take good shots. By the time the final horn sounded O'Neill was ahead by a score of 66 to 56.
For the Indians, Ivan Rivera was high scorer with 13 points but only 2 of those came in the second half. Dustin VanLieu hit in all four quarters ending the game with 12 points. Ryan VanLieu came on in the second half to score 8 of his 10 points. Trevor Tompkins scored 8, Connor Hinton netted 7, Justen Mills contributed 4 points and Steve Helwett added a field goal and got some experience on the court. O'Neill Broesler was unstoppable on most shots coming up with a game high 21 points and balanced scoring throughout the game. Dunn and Johnson added 12 each. Eleven of Johnson's points were in the second half. Ponte put in 11 points for O'Neill.
Sometimes a lack of experience hurts the Indians on the court. However, the team can NEVER be faulted for their effort and hustle on the court. Their defensive pressure is outstanding and their willingness to dive on the floor for the ball extends to every player.
The second quarter looked about the same as the teams traded infrequent baskets and more frequent turnovers. The defensive pressure remained high causing bad passes and forced shots. No player seemed able to take control of the game and neither team developed a real rhythm. There were flashes of Ivan Rivera cutting to the basket, Connor Hinton going up strong with a rebound and Ryan and Dustin Valnlieu handling the ball out front. At the end of the half the score was just 15-10 with Monticello still in control.
At the beginning of the third quarter it seemed that both teams steadied themselves a little. Monticello opened a lead only to have Liberty cut into it as the quarter enterded the closing moments. Dustin Vanlieu's basket off a clean steal "tied" the score at 10 for the quarter. The third period ended with Monticello still up by five points 25 to 20.
At the beginning of the final period Liberty made a run that looked like it might steal the game. At one point the Indians were up by 3 points but Monticello was not to be denied. The Panthers retook the lead and pulled away as the Indians needed to commit fouls and take chances to close the gap. The final score was in favor of Monticello 39-30. The low score and the realtively large lead do not reflect the excitement and intensity of the game especially in the last period.
The Indians continue to play hustling basketball in every game. They swarm on defense and they dive on the floor for every loose ball. The bang hard in the paint and fight for each rebound. This doesn't always equal a win but it is very entertaining and means that it is hard to ever count the Indians out of a game. Ivan Rivera finished with a team high 10 points followed by Dustin VanLieu with 9, Justen Mills with 4, Dashawn Williamson with 4 and Connor Hinton with 3. Willy Watson from Monticello finished with a game high 12 points. John Hernandez had 9 points with many coming at key times in the second half.
The Indians travel to O'Neill HS on Thursday to try to avenge a loss in the championship of the O'Neill tournament over winter break.
In the first quarter the teams traded baskets with Fallsburg holding a 1 point lead at the end. The second quarter was a different story as Liberty began to pull away and open a 15 point gap at the half. Ivan Rivera and Ryan and Dustin VanLieu harassed the Fallsburg ball handlers while Connor Hinton, Justen Mills, Dashawn Williamson and Trevor Tompkins did the work inside. At the beginning of the second half both teams were fired up but Fallsburg began to hit the shots they had missed in the first half. As the lead dwindled to 6 points Coach Semo called a time out to settle the team. After a few more exchanges, Liberty began to open up the lead which stood at 18 points at the end of the third quarter. In the final period Liberty continued the pressure on both ends and the result was an even larger lead. Both coaches began to substitute players so that those on the bench could gain experience.
Dustin VanLieu led Liberty in scoring with a game-high 25 points including 4 3-pointers. Dashawn Williamson added 15, Ivan Rivera scored 14 with Justen Mills coming up with 10 points in the paint. Trevor Tompkins worked for 8 points inside while Connor Hinton and Steve Hewlett added 4 each. Liberty is still struggling from the line shooting just 12 of 19 for 53%.
Liberty 73 O'Neill 61
Monday, February 25th, 2008 - Highland Falls
After playing a team THREE times in one season, you know their plays and you know their players. The problem is that they know the same things about you! This season )'Neill had beaten Liberty twice on their own floor before Liberty deafened them at home. Having to play at O'Neill seemed to be a HUGE advantage for the Raiders.
Liberty 36 Cornwall 69
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008 - Cornwall
How can a loss, any loss, be a good loss? When the other team knows you came to play. When your players play as a TEAM. When every player can say they did their best? When the opposing coaches say that their team had to play hard to beat yours! Cornwall had too many players with too many moves with too many scoring options but Liberty let them know that they would have to bring the game that made them the only state-ranked Section IX boys team. In the first period Cornwall called a timeout in the first minute to inform his players that they could take a seat if they had not come to play basketball. For the rest of the first half Cornwall player 10 of their 15 players and 8 scored. The Green Dragons, led by Alex Orchowski's 17 points, outscored Liberty 23-6 in the first quarter and 171-0 in the second to take a 40-16 lead into the locker room at half time. Dustin VanLieu scored 10 for Liberty with brother Ryan adding 4 for the Indians. Connor Hinton's 2 point field goal was the only other basket for the Indians.
Liberty 54 Goshen 60
Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 - Loch Sheldrake
The game started at Sullivan County Community College a little after 5:00 PM. Maybe being IN sectionals bred satisfaction! Liberty had lost by a SINGLE POINT in overtime at Goshen earlier in the year. The game shaped up to be an exciting one with Goshen needing a win to keep their playoff hops alive. Maybe being OUT of school bred complacency! In any case none of the Indians played with their customary intensity until it was too late in the final period. Goshen got the opening tip and the teams traded baskets and turnovers in the first period. At 4:51 Goshen called the fist timeout with the score 7-5 Liberty. At 3:24 Liberty returned the favor by calling a timeout after 4 straight Goshen points tying the game at 9-9. By the end of the quarter the score was 13-15 in favor of Goshen. There were relatively few fouls on either side. Dustin VanLieu had 7 points for Liberty while Goshen's Willie Green had 6.
Liberty 57 Afton 41
Thursday, February 14th, 2008 - Liberty
It was the Senior Night that almost didn't happen! The roads were icy in the morning causing a two hour delay. Two Afton starters were banged up in a car accident. Despite this the Afton Crimson Knight took the two hour bus ride to play the Varsity game only at Liberty. After honoring the seniors in the Pep Band and on the basketball team, the game got underway. Maybe it was the bus ride or the "strange" gym but Afton looked out of rhythm and "cold" from the opening tap. Liberty went on a 12-0 run which was only stopped when Afton called a timeout at 5:03. Dustin VanLieu and Dashawn Williamson were doing the damage and none of the Crimson Knights could find the basket. At 4:55 Afton final scored a single point after Justen Mills committed a hard foul. At the end of the period the score was 22-5 with Liberty looking like they had the game in hand. Dashawn had scored 8 and Dustin 7 with three other Liberty players contributing point. For Afton even high-scoring Bryant Winans was held scoreless.
Liberty 55 Tuxedo 28
Monday, February 11th, 2008 - Liberty
The Tuxedo Tornadoes blew into town Monday night with a less than stellar record. Tuxedo is a class C school with a reputation of good basketball over the years. mThis is not one of those years. As the first quarter began it was clear why Tuxedo is having problems. The Tonadoes turned the ball over frequentl, had trouble handling the ball and good not find the basket. The trouble was that the Indians were matching this performance. At the end of the quarter the score stood 9-4 in favor of Liberty with Ivan Rivera scoring 7 of those points! There were only three fouls attesting to the fact that it was not close defense but turnovers that marked the quarter.
Liberty 69 Fallsburg 55
Friday, February 8th, 2008 - Liberty
After beating Sullivan West on Wednesday the Indians had to face perhaps their biggest rival, Fallsburg, on Friday. It had been more than a month since Liberty had embarrassed Fallsburg on their home floor 80-57. Fallsburg came into Liberty looking to avenge that defeat and get some respect. For at least two quarters it looked as if they might be able to do just that. Maybe Liberty was a little overconfident. Maybe the players were still celebrating qualifying for sectionals for the first time in 8 years. Maybe Fallsburg had improved. Whatever the reason Fallsburg came out hot while the Indians were cold. After Coach Semo called an early timeout the Indians seemed to rally and by the end of the period the score was tied 16-16. Buckner and Gilmore for Fallsburg combined for 9 points from the outside. Dashawn Willimason poured in 8 points for the Indians
Liberty 58 Sullivan West 40
Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 - Lake Huntington
Six days after Liberty defeated Sullivan West at home the teams met again on the home court of the Bulldogs. The Liberty players knew that a win meant a trip to sectionals. The Bulldogs wanted to avenge a game they lost badly after staying with the Indians for two quarters. When the game started, Liberty looked tight and the Bulldogs's Chris Story looked strong. Sullivan West was up 6-0 before the Indians got on track. By the end of the quarter the Indians were up 16-9. As coach Jason Semo stated in the locker room after the game, "good teams don't give up leads!" in the second period Sullivan West stayed close and outscored the Indians 15-12 largely on the inside work of Story. At the half it was Liberty up by 28-24.
Liberty 70 Sullivan West 54
Thursday, January 31st, 2008 - Liberty
The score of this game in no way reflects how exciting the game was. This game was still "up for grabs" in the third quarter. Both teams came into the game knowing they needed a win to make a run at the post season and to post a respectable mark in their division. Both teams wanted to beat another Sullivan County team. The Liberty team that played the first period did NOT look like the same team that played on Tuesday against Burke. Turnovers, missed shots and defensive miscues marked the period. Sullivan West relied on the inside-outside work of Chris Story and RJ Rosa who scored 8 and 6 points each. The period ended with the Bulldogs up 16 to 11.
Liberty 50 Burke 59
Tuesday, January 29th, 2008 - Liberty
The Burke Eagles landed in Liberty tied for the division lead with their only blemish a loss to O'Neill. In the first game at Burke the Indians did not play their best basketball. Liberty was ready to show Burke that their TEAM had improved and was ready to play. Both teams seemed tentative in the first quarter. Liberty played swarming defense and help a frustrated DJ Gibson scoreless for the entire period. Only a 3 pointer by Undersinger kept the Eagles from net a goose egg and the period ended 10 to 3 in favor of Liberty.
Liberty Loses to Port Jervis 54-41
Friday, January 25th, 2008 - Port Jervis
Both teams had not seen action for a week due to Regents exams. Both teams remembered the offensive battle at Liberty near the beginning of the season. The Indians won that game but had to do it in overtime. Both teams suited up potentailly key players who did not play in the first game. Port Jervis had the edge this time because their fans had "the joint rockin'" So what happened?
Liberty Beat O'Neill 63-61 in OT
Friday, January 18th, 2008 - Liberty
Cheerleading Coach Audra Santillo said it best "The third time is a charm!" The Liberty boys had played O'Neill High SChool twice this year at O'Neill. In both games the Indians played hard and were close to the Raiders coming out for the third quarter. In fact, in the last game Liberty lead at half time only to lose the lead in the third period to a hard-charging O'Neill. The Indians were out to prove that they were the equal of the Raiders and to hand them their first loss in division play. To encourage students to attend the game Coach Semo offered free admission and a pizza to a lucky student. The student's name was picked at random from those students who wore RED to school on Friday.
Liberty Falls to Goshen 66-65 in OT
Wednesday, January 16th, 2008 - Goshen
The Liberty boys went to Goshen knowing that a win against a talented A team would set them up for their home match up aginst O,Neill on Friday. Liberty wanted this win. Liberty needed this win. The Liberty team played with desire and hustle. Sometimes what you want you don't get. Sometimes all the desire and hustle in the world just aren't enough.
Liberty Comes Up Short Against O'Neill 66-56
Thursday, January 10th, 2008 - Highland Falls
The Liberty Indians made their second trip to On'Neill High School to play the Red Raiders. Although the games differed somewhat in tempo and in the names of the top scorers, the result was the same. A young Liberty team gave up a half time lead and succumbed to a furious second half effort on the part of O'Neill. The teams traded baskets in the first period as they moved up and down the court. The 15-14 score in favor of Liberty reflected how closely matched the teams were in the period in both offensive and defensive effort. In the second period O'Neill opened a slight lead only to have Liberty return the favor. The Indians stormed back at the end of the first half to take a an eight point lead 32-24. At half time Coach Semo made it clear that he was satisfied with the effort the team was making. He also emphasized that O'Neill would come out ready to make a run and that the Indians would have to be ready. O'Neill was cold at the foul line in the first half shooting only 3 for 11 from the line. However, their eleven shots were seven more than the Indians had attempted. Leading the offense in the first half were Ivan Rivera with 11 points and Connor Hinton with 6. Dustin VanLieu contributed from long range. Broesler for O'Neill was all over the court doing most of his scoring inside the paint. Liberty held O'Neill's Johnson to just 1 point with relentless defensive pressure.
Liberty Drops One at home to Monticello 39-30
Tuesday, January 8nd, 2008 - Liberty
Playing Monticello is always a highlight of the basketball season even when the two teams are not in the same division. tUesday night's game had all the makings of a great contest on paper. Both teams have talented, well-coached players who know each other and have something to prove when they play each other. After the first quarter though, some fans wondered if these were the two teams they had come to see. The score at the end of the first stanza was 9 to 4 in favor of Monticello. What happened? Why was the score so low? Why did the game look so "ugly"? Both teams appeared to be putting a lot of pressure on themselves as they ran up and down the floor committing many unnecessary turnovers. Both teams also employed a hustling, swarming defense which added to the low scoring quarter. Many shots looked hurried or the player shooting was off balance.
Liberty Pounds Fallsburg 80-57 at Fallsburg
Wednesday, January 2nd, 2008 - Fallsburg
The Liberty Boys Basketball Team played some good, solid games at the end of 2007. Their record did not reflect the hard work and determination of the players and the coaches. Wednesday night's game began the New Year on the best possible note. Liberty traveled to Fallsburg and came away with a SWEET 80-57 victory. The game certainly had it moments on offense with Liberty coming out on top. The final result, however, had more to do with the scrambling, tenacious defense that smothered and frustrated the Buckner and Gilmore, Fallsburg's top scorers, until it was too late. Equally important was the rebounding on the offensive and defensive ends. Liberty consistently put the ball back up after missed shots. On the defensive end Fallsburg routinely got one look before the ball was headed the other way.
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