Finishing games in regulation seems to have become a theme of the past for the Liberty Christian boys basketball team. The Eagles have found themselves in multiple overtime situations during the …
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Liberty Christian Boys Prevail in 2OT
Posted
By Derrick Forsythe, Record Sports Editor
Finishing games in regulation seems to have become a theme of the past for the Liberty Christian boys basketball team.The Eagles have found themselves in multiple overtime situations during the month of January, including on Saturday. Thankfully for Coach Butch Clark, his team is finding a way to escape the tense moments on the winning side.The latest triumph came during a 58-54 double overtime victory against Yeshiva on Saturday.Liberty Christian had beaten the same team with relative ease in November, but the rematch proved more challenging.“In our first meeting we had a pretty sound lead for much of the game, and they closed the gap late,” said Clark. “This one was close all the way throughout. We just couldn’t pull away.”Yeshiva led 11-9 after one quarter, before the Eagles rallied to take their largest lead of the game — a mere six points — before halftime.Much of Liberty Christian’s success came on the heels of a dominating performance inside by Calvin Edwards, who pounded out 20 points and hauled in 17 rebounds. His contributions increased as the game progressed.“Calvin was outstanding after the first quarter,” said Clark. “He hit nothing the first quarter, but then came back and played exceptionally well after that. Most of his points he got on putbacks and offensive boards.”The Eagles held a 25-22 advantage at the break.“We weren’t sharp early, but as the game went on we got back,” said Clark. “We made plays when we needed to on both sides of the ball.”Liberty Christian had an opportunity to seal the game in the closing moments, holding the ball for 1:30 possession before taking an ill-advised shot. Luke Bruning had given the Eagles an edge, scoring a layup off a steal, but it wasn’t enough.“We should have easily won that game without going into overtime,” said Clark. “We bailed them out when we took an unnecessary shot.”The Eagles let another chance to win slip late in the first overtime, as Edwards missed a pair of free throws.Yeshiva was equally inaccurate at the line, but Clark says “we bailed them out.”Ultimately, it was the defense that made the difference.“Our defense really played well,” said Clark. “They made really good plays on three straight possessions.”Edwards redeemed himself with what his coach called four huge putbacks. He scored half of his points during the fourth quarter and overtimes.“With his size advantage, that had nobody that could stop him,” said Clark. “He just wasn’t motivated enough early.”During the final minutes, he was a force to be reckoned with.Bruning was also strong for the Eagles, netting 16 points, while Tanner Meyer had 13 points and seven assists.
Liberty Christian defeated Yeshiva in double overtime on Saturday.
