CAMPBELL LEAPS THE LEOPARDS
By Matt Maher
LIBERTY, OH – The Leopards welcomed the Red Devils to town for another installment of MVAC boys basketball where the 2nd best team in Campbell took down the 7th best team by the final score of 55-45. Both teams showed some great skill on the court but it would be the Red Devils spectacular rebounding and the great efforts of David Moore and Teyon Harris Jr. that would be the key differences in this game.
Liberty showed they could tango with Campbell in the first where they were able to find 10 points to Campbells 14. The Leopards were led by Evan Bates who hit two 2’s and went 2-for-2 from the free throw line, an area he would excel at all evening. Campbell saw Moore put up 5 including a spectacular 3 and 2 of 2 made free throws. Harris found 4 points in the paint as well for the Red Devils.
David Moore would keep up his dominance by scoring 10 points in the 2nd quarter all within the arc with five 2’s. Harris would add a hard fought 2 into the mix as well. Liberty saw Adam Huynh step up with 5 points including his team’s first made 3 of the night! Luke Bates and Dearmani Franklin would both score a bucket each to get Liberty to their 9 points.
Liberty continued to stay close to Campbell after the break, scoring 8 points to Campbells 11, though their close quarters were still hurting Liberty’s chances. Evan Bates entered back on to the score sheet with 4 more points including 2 more made free throws. David Moore added 2 more points to his total and Harris found the other 9 points for his team with three 2’s and a decent 3-for-4 from the stripe.
The 4th quarter was the closest quarter we saw with both teams scoring 18 points. Moore would add 4 more points and finish with a team leading 21 points on the night. Josue Rodriguez would have a nice frame as well, scoring 5 points for his team and Harris would score 4 more points including 2 more from the line, he would finish with 19 points. Liberty saw Julius Ferrell put up a 3 and Brashawn Hicks and Luke Bates both scored 2 points but the difference maker was Evan Bates who found three 2’s and went 5-for-5 from the line finishing with 21 points on the night and 9-for-9 from the line!
Despite the individual boost from Evan Bates, Liberty couldn’t find enough consistency in the scoring department to top the Red Devils. David Moore and Jeyon Harris Jr. both deserve standing ovations after their performances on Tuesday night. the Red Devils (9-4, 6-1) will continue their road trip when they take on Newton Falls on January 19th at 7:00PM and Liberty (3-11, 1-6) will hit the road when they take on the Crestview Rebels on January 19th at 7:00PM.
