Tag Archive for: Liberty

LEOPARDS BRING THEIR BATS WITH THEM ON THE ROAD

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NEWTON FALLS, OHIO- Newton Falls fell behind early and couldn’t come back in a 14-7 loss to the Liberty Leopards on Monday.

The Leopards got going early when they scored on a single by Rachel Strohmeyer in the first inning, a walk by Sara Horn in the first inning, a walk by Mia Parker in the first inning, and a single by Brooklyn Cimminero in the second inning. Ashlie Harvey drove in four runners in the loss and as well as a home run in the first and a home run in the third.

The Tigers scattered nine hits in the game. Harvey, Carley Brainard, and Natalee Henderson all managed multiple hits for the Tigers as Harvey went 3-for-3 at the plate to lead the team in hits.

Strohmeyer was the winning pitcher for the Leopards. The pitcher allowed nine hits and seven runs over seven innings, striking out seven. Karsen Gazda toed the rubber for Newton Falls and she surrendered 14 runs on six hits over seven innings, striking out ten.

Liberty and Newton Falls will matchup up once again on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. 

 

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WARRIORS MAKE QUICK WORK OF MVAC FOE

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By Matt Morrison 

BROOKFIELD, OHIO- Brookfield stayed on task against Liberty, in a game that ended after the top of the third inning. The Warriors offense exploded as they had 8 runs in the first inning and 4 runs in the second inning to take town the Leopards 12-0. Sophia Hook had a solid night going 2 for 2 at the plate and also had help from Jenae Pugh, who went 1 for 2 including scorings two runs with a triple in the bottom of the second.

Miranda Nicholson had a productive night on the mound for the Warriors allowing one hit and striking out 6. Chloe Fleps allowed 8 hits and had 2 strikeouts in the losing effort for the Leopards. Brookfield and Liberty will take on each other again this Thursday. 

GARFIELD MAKES IT A THREE PEAT

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GARRETTSVILLE OH- Many people doubted the realistic ability for Garfield to win a third straight championship coming in to this season.  The skeptics were not hard to find, but neither was the work ethic of the G-Men. All season long they took those doubts from the outside, and turned them in to motivation to thrive.  After winning an MVAC championship in the regular season, Garfield worked their way to a district championship. Standing in their way of a third straight trophy was another reigning district champion. Liberty was hungry to get back to regionals, and they were more healthy than ever before.

Garfield started the game off quick and jumped out to an early lead.  The G-Men set the tone with a couple of early threes from Laura McCoy and Zoey May.  By the time a few minutes went away in the second quarter Garfield built a 16-8 lead.  That’s when Liberty stepped back in the frame. Scoring 9 of the next 11 points the Leopards cut their deficit to 18-17.  Garfield was able to barely hold on to their halftime lead 20-17.  Out of the break it was Garfield’s turn to make a run.  They jumped back ahead by ten 28-18.  Yet once again the Leopards came roaring back ending the third quarter on a 9-1 run.  The final push however belonged to the G-Men. Down the stretch Garfield made all the right plays.  Garfield used their poise to walk away with a 43-37 win.

McCoy would not be denied on the night as she ran her way to 17 points.  In her first district championship game of her career, Mandy Cardinal was also in double figures with 13 points.  Zoey May put together 9 points to help out the cause.

Liberty was paced by Aaliyah Foster who tied for the game-high in points with 17 points.  Cianna Smith gathered 10 points for the Leopards in her final game of her high school career.  Demi Watson contributed 6.

Garfield won their third consecutive district championship and advances to the Division III regional semifinal on Wednesday.  They’ll be paired up against Laurel.  That game is slated to tip off at 6:00 in Cuyahoga Falls.

LIBERTY GIRLS BASKETBALL COACH’S CORNER (EP 1) WITH DEIDRE WATSON

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LIBERTY, OHIO- The the Liberty Lady Leopards have had a hard fought, rollercoaster ride of a season. The Leopards have been led by he Head Coach Deidre Watson. Watson and the Leopards won a disrtict title just a year ago and are looking to repeat this year. This year has been a little different as Watson has been without one of her star players, Cianna Smith, all year due to injury. Other players such as Demi Watson, Mia Parker, and Aaliyah Foster have stepped up and have filled serious gaps for the Leopards.

Fortunately, Smith has since been able to return for the Leopards just as they began their quest for another district championship in the Division III girls tournament. In what is going to be the final year of coaching for Watson as she will retire at the end of the season, her squad is doing everything they can to keep the memorable season going. After taking down the third seeded Poland Bulldogs, the Leopards will square off against the Lakeview Bulldogs in the District Semi-Finals on Wednesday night. Deidre Watson had the opportunity to sit down with YSN’s Matt Morrison to talk about the amazing career she has had and what goals still needed to be accomplished. Check out this exclusive interview only on YSN!

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LEOPARDS STILL HAVE PLANS TO RUN IT BACK

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POLAND OH- Saturday’s Division III Sectional Final in Poland between the Bulldogs and Liberty might have seemed like a mismatch if you look at seeding. Poland was the third seed in the district, and Liberty came in on twelve.  How quickly some people forgot that Liberty is still the reigning district champions.  Now a fully healthy Liberty roster has their sights locked on back to back titles.  They didn’t let Poland stand in their way. After an exciting back and forth first half, the Leopards kicked it into high gear in the second half to run away with a 64-43 victory.

Demi Watson led the Leopards on the day with a big 23 points.  Aaliyah Foster was right behind her scoring 22 points in the Leopards onslaught.  Cianna Smith was also in double figures racking in 14 points. The Leopards have been without Smith for most of the season.  She has returned to the lineup to help her Leopards try to repeat.

Mary Brant led the Bulldogs on the day scoring 12 points. Katie McDonald finished off her basketball career by chipping in 9 points for Poland.

Liberty will advance to the District Semifinals on Wednesday. They will be matched up with Lakeview. They’ll be the 2nd game of the night at Struthers high school.  Tip off is scheduled for approximately 8:00.

WRESTLING WEDNESDAYS WITH GARY ALTHISER (EP 8) FEATURING QUINTIN BURNS

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LIBERTY OH- The path to the State Duals has started as many YSN teams competed in their own regionals looking to advance as a team to the state championships. What teams shined the brightest on the biggest stage? What teams fell just short? Gary Althiser our resident wrestling expert has you covered. In the latest episode of Wrestling Wednesdays we see which grapplers has what it takes to lead their team to state, and how much some of them have to look forward to.

Our special guest this week is Quintin Burns from Liberty. Quintin is the latest Baird Brothers Big Dog Of The Valley Winner. He has had a tremendous career in Liberty. He is approaching the program record for wins in a career.  Gary and Anthony talk to him about all that and more on the latest episode of Wrestling Wednesdays with Gary Althiser.

SPARTANS BRING THE FIGHT TO LIBERTY

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YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO- The Boardman Lady Spartans went into Liberty to take on the Lady Leopards, in what seems to be the final home game for Leopards Head Coach, Deidre Watson.

The Lady Leopards were led by Aaliyah Foster, who dropped 21 points. Demi Watson also helped the Leopards cause by scoring 16 points that kept the Leopards close, but Gia Triveri made that difficult as she finished the game with 20 points, including 6 three pointers and pushed the Lady Spartan passed the Lady Leopards 57-48.

Both teams will now get prepared for tournament play that starts Saturday when Boardman will take on the Austintown-Fitch Lady Falcons and Liberty will take on a tough Pymatuning Valley Lady Lakers team next Wednesday.

*Contributed By YSN’s Matt Morrison

 

GARFIELD KEEPS PROVING THEMSELVES

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GARRETTSVILLE OH- Garfield continued their rampage through the MVAC on Thursday as they muscled their way past a talented Liberty team.  It was a big 20 point second quarter that paved the way for the G-Men. They outscored the Leopards 20-5 in that frame to siege control of the game. They continued their grip on the game through the second half in a 59-42 win.

Mandy Cardinal scored 12 of her points in that second quarter, and she led Garfield with a total of 21.  Nora Trent was also in double figures for Garfield putting in 12 points.  Laura McCoy was still a factor contributing 8 points to the cause.

Aaliyah Foster was her dominant self as she scored a game-high 28 points.  Demi Watson also found herself in double figures with 10.

Garfield will continue their season on Monday as they travel to Newton Falls.  Liberty returns home on Monday as they’ll host LaBrae.

BROOKFIELD ANSWERS THE CALL

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LIBERTY OH- The MVAC picture was going to get a little more clear on Thursday in Liberty. Brookfield came in to the game in a three way tie for first place, while Liberty came in just one game back of the teams in the top spot.  Neither team could really afford a loss. You could feel the desperation to win in the air as both teams scrapped it out all night long.  The second quarter was the big difference as the Warriors outscored Liberty 17-7 to take a 28-14 lead in to the break.  The Leopards battled their way back in the game, but could never fully regain control. Brookfield kept pace at the top with a 52-42 win.

Katie Logan and Sophia Hook were a great tandem as they both led Brookfield with 13 points each.  Mikenzie Jumper put in a solid night with 8 points.  Cailey Wellman was all over the place in the stat book as she finished with 7 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 assists.

Liberty was led by Demi Watson who was able to put in 15 points. Aaliyah Foster was also solid for the Leopards with 14 points.  Makayla Beckett contributed 6 points to Liberty’s cause as well.

Brookfield will take the win and continue in MVAC as they host Crestview in a battle of first place teams on Monday.  Liberty will be on the road as they visit Newton Falls.

CHAMPION FINDS ITS WAY BACK TO WINNING

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LIBERTY OH- On January 17th the Champion Golden Flashes made their triumphant return to the win column after breaking a 32-game losing streak with a 48-47 road victory over the Liberty Leopards.

Champion got off to a great start in the third quarter after trailing by seven points at the half and took a slim four point lead into the fourth quarter. Liberty put up a valiant effort down three players, including leading scorer Evan Bates, as they put up 15 in the fourth quarter but wound up a point short after a late game decision to hold on to the ball for over a minute and try for the final shot. Julius Ferrell in his season debut for Liberty heaved up the final shot from the corner but couldn’t hit the target and Champion came away with their first win since December 10th of 2021 when they beat Pymatuning Valley on the road.

 

Player of the game went to Brett Chanell who finished the night with 12 points and a couple of three pointers that gave Champion enough momentum to take the night. Liberty was led in scoring by Kalen Turner who put up an outstanding 24 points and Silas Robinson who finished with 13.

Champion will try and make it two in a row as they will take on Newton Falls on Saturday in a road game. Liberty finally broke a winless month of January after beating Academy for Urban Scholars on Monday, but they found themselves back on the losing side Tuesday night. The Leopards will take on Crestview this Saturday on YSN at 7:00 p.m. ET as they will look to pick up win number four against the seven-win Rebels.

*Contributed By YSN’s Alek Koberna