Sports

Blue Eagles Lose Close LVC Final Games

The girls lost by only one point, while the boys lost by only six.

Liberty High School’s boys basketball team lost two regular season Lehigh Valley Conference games this season – one to Easton and the other to Nazareth.

So, the Hurricanes had every reason to enter the LVC tournament with a chip on its shoulder in the hopes of avenging both those losses.

Liberty did just that Friday night, following up its Wednesday night defeat to Easton with a 56-50 victory over defending champion Nazareth to earn the league tournament title in front of a raucous, capacity crowd at Freedom High School.

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On the girls side, Nazareth’s bid at an LVC title fell tantalizingly short as the Blue Eagles rallied from an early 11-4 deficit, but eventually fell to Allentown Central Catholic, 26-25.

The Hurricanes (20-4) overcame a slow start and a 34-point performance from Nazareth’s Chuck Dibilio to annex their second league tournament crown in three years.

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Yet, Liberty coach Chad Landis credited his defense for adjusting enough to shut down the rest of the Blue Eagle offense.

“Defensively, we had to mix it up a little, and go from zone to man, because they got a beat on what they were doing and adjusting to it,” Landis said. “We fell behind and knew we had to get a shooter in there, so we inserted Pat Donnelly and he stepped up and made some key shots.”

The sophomore guard hit three long three-pointers, including two during a 16-3 third quarter run that gave the Hurricanes an eight-point lead they would never relinquish.

Senior Darrun Hilliard poured in 19 points, including eight fourth quarter free throws to lead Liberty. Senior Izel Dickerson chipped in with 11 points, while Donnelly finished with 13 more.

“I feel great for Darrun and all the seniors, because this is two out of three years for them,” Landis said. “Nazareth’s had our number, we don’t matchup that well with them and who knows, we may see them again in the Districts. You never know with the seeds."

Nazareth coach Joe Arndt also credited Liberty’s defensive effort.

“We’re a team that averages 60 points and they had us down to 50,” he said. “You’ve got to give them credit. Their defense slowed us down. We’ll rebound, get everybody back on the same page and get ready for Districts."

Dibilio put on a one-man show, twisting his body in the paint making shot after shot, including an impossible three-pointer at the buzzer of the first half with a defender draped all over him.

“We had great heart, but they came out in the second half strong. We had problems matching up and it doesn’t matter how many points I had,” Dibilio said.

Nazareth’s girls team will also begin District 11 play next week wondering what might have been their LVC crown if the basketball had fallen a different way just once.

The Blue Eagles, who trailed throughout the game and appeared on their way to being blown out of the gym, took a 25-23 lead with 2:50 left in the game on a basket by Kim Owens.

Cental Catholic (21-3) regained the edge with a three-point play by Haley Smith at the 2:05 mark of the fourth quarter. Those would be the game’s final points, but Nazareth (19-4) had numerous chances to win the LVC title in the final two minutes.

Shots by Caitlyn Gary and Lennon Kramer missed the mark, but Nazareth had a final opportunity for victory with seven seconds to play.

The ball got inside to a wide-open senior Erika Livermore, who was challenged by Central Catholic defenders. The shot rolled around the rim and in -- and out.

“It was an identical play to the last time we played them and lost by a point. Did she get fouled? I don’t know. You’re not going to get a call like that in a game like this. She’s won 60 games for me, so I can’t be too disappointed,” said head coach Rich Bickert. “I’m as proud of this team as I’ve ever been. They could’ve packed it and they kept fighting. I can’t expect more from them as a coach.”

Livermore said she thought she might have been fouled on the game’s final shot, but shrugged it off.

“Gold is better than silver, but to lose by one point to one of the best teams in the league is not terrible. We still have Districts.”

Livermore was awarded the league’s MVP trophy following the game.

Central Catholic’s Kerry Kinek led all scorers with 18 points.

 

BOYS FINAL

NAZARETH (50)

Kristopher Kent 1 0-0 3, Drew Hercik 0 0-0 0, Shane Seibler 0 0-0 0, Matthew Rothrock 0 0-0 0, Bryce Higgs 2 3-6 7, Chuck Dibilio 11 9-12 34,  Branden Kline 2 0-0 4, Karl Keglovits, 0 2-6 2. Totals: 15 14-24 50

LIBERTY (56)

Izel Dickerson 2 7-9 11, Pat Donnelly 5 0-0 13, Chevon Williams 0 1-2 1, Greg Noack 0 0-0 0, Dante Holmes 2 3-4 7, Alex Akabogu 2 0-0 5, Darrun Hilliard 4 10-12 19. Totals: 16 20-25 56

Nazareth – 12  5  9 24 – 50
Liberty – 6  9  21  20 – 56

Officials: Bob Bennett, Jack Keiter, Dave DeYoung
Fouled Out: Nazareth: Hercik; Liberty: Akabogu
3-point goals: Nazareth: Kent, Dibilio (3); Liberty: Donnelly (3), Akabogu, Hilliard

 

GIRLS FINAL

NAZARETH (25)

Jacalyn Hikes 0 0-0 0, Gina Facinelli 1 1-2 4, Lennon Kramer 3 0-2 6, Morgan Calabrese 0 0-0 0, Caitlyn Gary 2 2-2 6, Erika Livermore 3 1-1 7, Kim Owens  1 0-0 2. Totals: 10 4-7 25.

CENTRAL CATHOLIC (26)

Casey Hollawell 0 0-0 0, Abigail Guman 1 0-1 2, Haley Smith 1 1-3,  Jenna Kocsis 1 0-0 3, Kerry Kinek 7 3-4 18. Totals 10 4-6 26. 

Nazareth – 4  4  9 8 – 25
Central Catholic – 11 4  5 6 – 26

Officials: Rob Moser, Dennis Brong and Bob Bosak.
Fouled out: None.
3-point goals: Nazareth: Facinelli; Central Catholic: Kinek


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