ANDERSON, Ind. —
Liberty Christian walked off the court with a 65-64 victory over Greenwood Christian Academy on Tuesday night, but the win was not without controversy.
After the final horn, Greenwood fans adamantly insisted the score should have been tied 65-65 at the end of regulation. Several unofficial scorebooks suggested the Cougars’ fans were correct, but a check of the official book by the head referee resulted in a one-point victory being awarded to the Lions.
The game was a wakeup call for Class 1A No. 7 Liberty.
“We have a lot of work,” Lions coach Jason Chappell said. “People keep talking about us being ranked, and frankly we got served a piece of humble pie tonight.”
After a back-and-forth first quarter ended with 15-13 Liberty lead, the Lions opened the second quarter on an 8-2 run, using a full-court press to force the Cougars into turnovers. Liberty’s six-point lead midway through the period grew to 15 after a 10-0 surge that included five points each from Terrence Campbell and Preston Quinn. Greenwood, benefiting from frequent whistles, hit 7-of-10 free throws in the quarter to keep the Lions from pulling too far away. Liberty took a 41-27 lead into halftime, going 19-of-33 from the field and without the benefit of any free throws.
After halftime, the tide began to turn in the Cougars’ favor.
“They knocked down some shots, and our defense went kaput,” Chappell said. “They did a nice job.”
Greenwood got three big 3-pointers from three different players — Jacob Stephenson, Morgan Booher and Lucas Peters — to open the third quarter. The Cougars’ 14-4 run cut Liberty’s lead to four before the Lions pushed back with an 8-0 run of their own. Quincy Hyatt gave Liberty a 56-47 lead by hitting a bucket and the Lions’ first foul shot of the night with 40.7 seconds remaining the third. But a Peters basket cut Liberty’s lead to seven with one quarter to go.
Enter the controversy. At some point in the fourth quarter, amid the Cougars’ barrage of 3-pointers and three-point plays, the scoreboard and official scorebook got out of sync with others tracking the scoring. With less than 30 seconds to play and the scoreboard showing 64-64, Quinn was fouled and given two shots at the line, his first of the night and only the Lions’ fourth and fifth of the game. He missed the first but hit the second to give Liberty a 65-64 lead. Quinn then knocked the ball out of bounds at mid-court as the Cougars pushed upcourt. Peters, who led all scorers with 26 on 6-of-18 shooting, stepped out of bounds on Greenwood’s ensuing inbounds play, ending the Cougars’ chance at completing the comeback.
Chappell felt his team stopped moving the ball as well as it had in the first half and that the defense left too many gaps for the Cougars to drive through and too many shooters open. He’d been worried about this game all week, having lost twice to Greenwood last season, and complimented the Cougars (0-2) on a good performance.
“I was really impressed by their team,” Chappell said. “They’ve got some younger kids, and they’re only going to get better. By the end of this season, they’re going to be a totally different ball club. I’m glad we played them early and not late.”
Four Lions scored in double figures. Quinn and senior Remington Emery each notched 14 points, while Campbell and Chris Nunn both contributed 13. Quinn also led Liberty on the boards with 10.
The Lions (3-0) travel to Tri on Thursday and then don’t play a game for two weeks because of a senior trip.
“Our biggest struggle for our team is we want to get through this break, and once we get through that break then we start to catch some momentum,” Chappell said.
Sports
Liberty wins one by the book
Lions top Greenwood by disputed point
- Sports
-
-
Cottrell, Buck win regional titles
It didn’t take long for Pendleton Heights junior Kiawna Cottrell to stake her claim to a spot in the girls track state finals at Tuesday night’s North Central Regional.
On her first attempt at the long jump, the Arabians met the state standard of 17 feet, 4 inches.
“That started the night out right,” Pendleton Heights coach Melissa Hagerman said.
It only got better from there. -
Eagles soar into sectional final
On a warm and windy Tuesday evening, four teams hit the field at Frankton with a chance to play for the Sectional 40 softball championship. The host Frankton Eagles grabbed the first spot in the final with a dominating 24-0 win over Winchester.
-
PH’s 3 homers lift softball team
Pendleton Heights hit a trio of home runs and Arabians starting pitcher Bailey Benefiel came within two outs of a no-hitter in a softball sectional semifinal here Tuesday evening.
The PH clouts came from Sarah Dixon, Elizabeth Sigler and Jordan Dean, and they covered everything but a grand slam as the Arabians bounced New Castle 15-2. PH will play in today’s championship game at 7:30 p.m., against Greenfield-Central. -
Ken de la Bastide: Stellar field for Little 500
Since returning to Indiana in 1973 there have been very few Pay Less Little 500 races that I’ve missed in 50 years, but the field for the 65th running on Saturday can only be described as stellar.
-
Harter wins Red Haven Award
Matt Harter’s hours aren’t filled with longing and dreaming. They are filled with action and accomplishment.
The Anderson High School senior’s activities in and out of the competitive arenas, earned him the 2013 Red Haven Award during Tuesday’s Anderson Noon Exchange Club meeting at The Edge. -
PH’s run ends at regional
Pendleton Heights faced two powerful opponents Tuesday in the girls tennis regional at Marion — 16th-ranked Delta (21-2) and winds gusting to 30 mph.
The combination was too much to overcome in a 5-0 loss that ended the most successful season in school history. -
Cowan bounces Broncos in Class A opener
A pitching change helped propel Cowan past Daleville in the softball sectional at Liberty Christian on Tuesday.
-
Experienced Heat, upstart Pacers ready to go
Dwyane Wade’s rookie season ended with a playoff loss to the Indiana Pacers. The next year, the Miami Heat were headed to the Eastern Conference finals and certain that an NBA championship was in their sights.
That’s when Wade learned a valuable lesson: Never take playoff chances for granted. -
Arabians follow Vellinga's lead
If the student-athletes who took the field in Monday night’s sectional softball action needed a bit of motivation, they could have looked to pitcher’s circle at Legends Field where Andrea Vellinga stood and threw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Pendleton Heights battled Richmond in the opening game, as the Arabians ran past the Red Devils 10-0 in five innings. Game 2 featured Anderson and New Castle, with the Indians getting trounced 10-1. -
Bulldogs outslug Raiders in Class 2A thriller
Shenandoah sent 24 batters to the plate and scored nine runs in the final three innings of its Class 2A softball sectional opener Monday at Frankton.
And the Raiders (15-12) were the losing team.
Lapel (10-13) failed to reach base in 13 straight at-bats from the end of the second inning to start of the seventh and rallied from deficits in each of the final two innings to beat Shenandoah 12-11 in an eight-inning postseason classic. - More Sports Headlines
-
MLB Hoping for Large Replay Expansion in 2014
America's Cup Officials Say Race Will Continue
LeBron James Wins NBA MVP for Fourth Time
African American Jockey Aims for Derby History
Horse Saved From Slaughter, Goes on to Win Big
Obama: 'Couldn't Be Prouder' of Jason Collins
Sacramento Mayor Lauds NBA Vote on Kings
NBA Star's Aunt: I Am Very Proud of Him
Tebow Time in New York Over After Jets Cut QB
White House Commends Jason Collins on Coming Out
NBA Veteran Jason Collins Comes Out As Gay
Raw: Alligator on Fairway at Zurich Classic
Backpacks Banned From Kentucky Derby
Ex Ravens LB Ayanbadejo Talks Equality
