Tag Archive for: Liberty

DON’T SLEEP ON THE LEOPARDS

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Liberty and Brookfield have become unlikely rivals over the last few years so a difference in records meant nothing going into their December matchup this past Tuesday night. Brookfield came in (4-1) after running the table against an easy slate of games to begin the year. Liberty on the other hand were (1-5) after being handed one of the most difficult schedules of the season.

Brookfield got the night started out well as they went on a little run to create some separation from the Leopards, but before they could blink the Leopards turned on the jets and created a handful of turnovers to take the lead 16-12 after the first quarter.

However, it was the Warriors who would take control going into the glad as Matteo Fortuna, Xzavier Witherow, and Donovan Pawlowski combined for 24-points in the first half to take a 30-29 lead into the halftime break. The Leopards were playing well as Evan Bates and Silas Robinson had a combined 19-points in the first half, but the rest of the team was struggling to find a rhythm.

Tempers would heat up out of the break as both of these teams were trying everything they could to pull away from their opponent, but neither could do it. As a result, these two teams got into a physical back and forth brawl that led to them exchanging the lead more than six times in the third quarter. Liberty would take the lead into the final quarter 48-44 over the Warriors.

The final quarter was closer than the final score would lead one to believe as the game ended with Liberty at the free throw line to stretch what was a five-point lead into an eleven-point victory. Brookfield had phenomenal efforts from Fortuna and Pawlowski who combined for 45-points in total Tuesday night.

Liberty’s upset of Brookfield was just their second win of the season as they totaled a season high 73-points behind a 27-point game from Evan Bates who took home player of the game honors. Liberty is back in action on Wednesday night as they travel back to Youngstown to visit East High School. Brookfield will look to get back to their winning ways on the road against Maplewood on Thursday.

*Contributed By YSN’s Alek Koberna

MCCOY’S BIG NIGHT LIFTS GARFIELD AHEAD

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LIBERTY OH- Monday night basketball gave the region one of its biggest matchups of the season. Two teams that each took home district championships a season ago facing off once again. The Liberty Leopards came in with a record of (2-1) after cancelling a majority of their games to start the season due to illness. Meanwhile the Garfield Lady G-Men came in as hot as could be winning the first five games of their season without a loss. They also came in with a win streak of 12 consecutive regular season games dating back to last years road loss against Liberty in January.

Redemption for Garfield was on the line as they lost both games a season ago by small margins and they would not be denied the win this time around. A stellar defensive performance combined with a great shooting night from Laura McCoy would drive Garfield to a dominant victory. This game was only in question once as the Leopards and G-Men battled hard in the first quarter of Monday nights game. A quarter in which Liberty led by three when it was all said and done. But that would be the last anyone saw of the Leopards offensive attack as over the next two quarters they were able to put together just eight-points while the G-Men put up an outstanding 27-points in the same time period.

Liberty finally got some momentum in the fourth, but McCoy would put an end to a late run by the Leopards to win the game 52-33. Garfield picks up their sixth win of the season and put an end to Liberty’s 14-game home win streak that dated back to February of 2021. Liberty moves back to .500 on the season as they are now (2-2) and will look to bounce back against Cleveland East Tech on Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. ET. Garfield will travel out to Mogadore Field on Wednesday for a 7:00 p.m. ET game.

Liberty’s Demi Watson continued her legendary career as she put up 12-points in Monday’s game to move into 2nd all-time in scoring for girls’ basketball at Liberty High School. She has totaled 1043-points during her time and is now chasing only Shar’Da Williamson for 1st place who set the record back in the 2020 season.

*Contributed By YSN’s Alek Koberna

CHANEY IS RAMPING UP MOMENTUM

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YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Jason Hewlett dropped twenty-two points in three quarters as Chaney handed Liberty its fourth loss of the season, 63-20.

Liberty (1-4) started the game handling the patented Chaney pressure well and were able to score with the Cowboy’s. KJ Turner and Evan Bates both hit from beyond the arc to keep the Leopard’s within striking distance at the end of one, trailing 16-12.

The Chaney Cowboys (3-1) responded with an explosive second quarter to take a 47-18 lead into halftime. Jason Hewlett paced the showtime Cowboys with an impressive 14 second quarter points. Ga’Mior Jackson added 5 points for the quarter, including a buzzer beater three, the only made basket from beyond the arc for Chaney in the half.

After a few minutes of third quarter play, the running clock was in effect and would never be called off. The Cowboys dominated Liberty in the second half, holding the Leopards scoreless in the third quarter, and allowing just one basket in the fourth.

LEADING SCORERS –

CHANEY:

Jason Hewlett – 22 points

Jashaun Holcomb – 10 points

Ga’Mior Jackson – 9 points

LIBERTY:

KJ Turner – 5 points

Evan Bates – 5 points

Chaney – Extending their streak to three in a row, the Cowboys will hit the road for a neutral site contest against the Walsh Jesuit Warriors. The Warriors come in with an undefeated 5-0 record, boasting impressive wins over Brush, St. Ignatius, Gilmour Academy, and Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s.

Liberty – Dropping their second game in a row to a top Northeast Ohio team, the Liberty Leopards will look to regroup with a road matchup against Crestview (3-2). Liberty has won their previous five matchups against the Rebels.

*Contributed By YSN’s Jamie Thomson

HOBAN PROVES A TALL TASK FOR LEOPARDS

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LIBERTY, Ohio –

In a rematch from early last season the Liberty Leopards (1-3) played host to the Akron Archbishop Hoban Knights (1-0). Coming off a regional final appearance in 2022, the Knights quickly showed why they’re considered one of the top teams in Northeast Ohio.

The duo of Will Scott and Jonas Nichols that helped lead the Knights to last seasons 20-8 record combined for 48 total points in Hoban’s 81-40 routing of Liberty. Scott started the game strong, dropping 13 first quarter points. Liberty sophomore forward, Evan Bates, paced the Leopards with 7 in the first period.

Following up Scott’s 13 point first, Jonas Nichols responded with 13 of his own points in the second quarter, helping Hoban take a 50-25-point lead into the half. KJ Turner led the Leopards with 7 points in the second quarter.

Scott and Nichols continued to dominate in the second half, totaling 8 points apiece as Hoban sprinted away with the game in hand.

LEADING SCORERS –

LIBERTY:

KJ Turner – 14 points

Evan Bates – 12 points

Bra’Sean Black – 8 points

HOBAN:

Will Scott – 26 points

Jonas Nichols – 22 points

Liberty – The difficult start to the season gets no easier for the Leopards with their next opponent, a road test against the Chaney Cowboys (2-1). The Cowboys are coming off back-to-back road wins against Warren Harding and Howland.

Hoban – The defending Twinsburg district champions continue their road trip to start the season, as the Knights will travel South to take on the Dalton Bulldogs (1-2).

*Contributed By YSN’s Jamie Thomson

HARDING DASHES PAST LIBERTY

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LIBERTY OH- Liberty continued their hard opening slate of games as following a tight loss to Cardinal Mooney earlier this week the Leopards played host to the Warren G. Harding Raiders on Friday night. The night belonged to the Raiders from start to finish as every shot they took seemed to find the mark for the majority of the game. It was a perfect night as every play that was drawn up created an opening for Warren.

After the first quarter it was clear that it would not be a game that Liberty was going to want to remember as they trailed 17-6, which included an 11-0 run to start the quarter. Harding continued to increase their lead in the second quarter as they pushed themselves out to a 37-9 lead going into the half thanks to a phenomenal effort from Patien Stevenson.

The Raiders forced a running clock in the second half as they took home a 64-27 victory over the Leopards who drop to (0-2) to start the season. Liberty will look to bounce back on the road on Tuesday against Lakeview before they return home on Friday to play host to Hoban.

*Contributed By YSN’s Alek Koberna

WATSON CLIMBS TO 1,000 IN LEOPARDS WIN

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The Ladies of Liberty got off to a good start at home Friday night as they picked up their first win of the season behind the shooting of their two stars in Demi Watson and Aaliyah Foster. Division 1 Hudson came to town with two wins on the season and a big size advantage, but that size advantage would be nullified by the Leopards new six-footer in Makayla Beckett who locked down the painted area and forced bad shot after bad shot down low. She also found a rhythm on the other end from the midrange that forced the Explorers to have to chase her out of the paint which opened up driving lanes for Watson and Foster. Liberty went on all the right runs at all the right times and the visiting Explorers had no shot to get passed the Leopards who are clearly back into their rhythm from a season ago.

Foster could do no wrong as she finished with 26-points in route to a massive Leopards victory. Liberty moved to (1-1) on the season with a 58-43 win. Aaliyah Foster now has 48-points in the first two games. They will take on Canfield on Monday night as part of a three-game road stretch that will include MVAC Gray-Tier opponents Crestview and Brookfield. Hudson dropped their first game of the year and will remain on the road to take on Stow-Monroe Falls on Wednesday

Demi Watson made history in this game as she joined an elite club at Liberty High School as she hit 1000 career points. With this mark, her and her sister become the first pair of siblings to hit that mark at Liberty. Both did it while being coached by their mother and head coach Deidre Watson, who is a member of the Campbell-Memorial athletic hall of fame for her time playing basketball.

*Contributed By YSN’s Alek Koberna

MOONEY GETS DRAMA FROM THE JUMP

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LIBERTY OH- Cardinal Mooney and the Leopards faced off in Liberty to start the season Tuesday night. Mooney comes into the year having won the district championship in each of the last two seasons. The Leopards were eliminated by Cardinal Mooney at home last season in the district semifinals. Each team had to replace a number of key players from a year ago as Mooney brought up five guys to the varsity program and Liberty brought up eight new players.

The lack of experience was evident early on in this one as neither team had much of a shooting rhythm in the first quarter as a tight defensive battle gave way to a 6-5 Mooney lead heading into the first break of the night. However, after such a slow start each team began to click as we reached the halfway point of the night as Nick Pregibon for Mooney led all scorers going into halftime with 8-points and for a few minutes had taken over the Cardinals offense. But the Leopards would not be denied from distance as they cashed in on five threes from Silas Robinson, Bra‘Sean Black, and Dearmani Franklin in the second quarter to take a 22-15 lead into the break.

With fresh legs and a revamped defensive scheme Mooney was able to retake control of the game out of the halftime break as Jibri Carter and Rocco Turner finally hit a switch after combining for just 3-points in the first half as they drained shot after shot. The Leopards went a little chilly from range in the third and that allowed Mooney to sneak right back in. They went into the fourth quarter in a 1-point game thanks to a buzzer beater three from Carter 34-33 with the Leopards still out in front. Both teams gave it their all in the final quarter of play as Kalen Turner got hot from deep. But the defending district champions would not be denied a win to start the season as they were able to hit clutch shots in the late stages and near perfect free throw shooting put them in position to win despite a late Leopards push.

Mooney took home the season opening win 47-43 over the Leopards who drop to (0-1) on the season. Both teams will look to continue to build the chemistry with their younger teams as the season rolls on as Mooney will stay on the road as they visit Boardman this Friday, and the Leopards will remain at home to host the Warren G. Harding Raiders on Friday. Player of the game went to Jibri Carter as he finished the game second on the team in points with 11 and was given the award for his outstanding shooting down the stretch that flipped the momentum away from the Leopards and gave his team all that they needed to take home the win. Rocco Turner led Mooney with 13 points and Kalen Turner led all scorers with 14 points.

*Contributed By YSN’s Alek Koberna

EAST MEANS BUSINESS

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YOUNGSTOWN OH- After dropping their first game of the season to Lakeview in overtime, East won their next two games in decisive fashion. They headed home on Monday night to take on a mighty Liberty team coming off a district championship, and returning just about everybody.  The Bears were not bothered by the task however, as they edged out Liberty 42-40 and seriously opened some eyes around the area.  East won despite being outscored 27-20 in the second half.

Samair Colon led East with 15 points on the night. She also played lock down defense on the talent Leopards guards.  Alyssa Crankfield was also in double figures for East scoring 10 points.

Liberty was led by Aaliyah Foster with a game-high 22 points.  Demi Watson, and Kylee Thomas both finished the night with 9 points for the Leopards.

East is now 3-1 on the season and they will continue their run on Wednesday as they go to Niles. Liberty will try to bounce back on Friday night as they host Hudson in a Girls/Boys double header.

STARTING OFF ON THE RIGHT FOOT; RAIDERS ROLL TO SECOND ROUND

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CANFIELD, OH- There are no questions as to why the South Range Raiders were ranked atop many opinion and computer-based polls.  The only question being asked was, would a 16 seed be able to sneak up on one of the area’s top dogs to start the playoff season?

South Range answered that emphatically on Friday night against Liberty with a 35-6 victory over the Leopards, ending Liberty’s 2022 campaign.

The South Range slinger, Billy Skripac would connect with Ayden Leon nearly effortlessly from 21 yards out to start the scoring at the 7:27 mark in the first.  Just minutes later, Tyler Remish would find the endzone from 4-yards out to put the Raiders up 14-0.

In the second frame, Aidan Dominguez ripped through the defense from 35 yards out, giving Raider fans flashbacks of his older brothers from Raider years past- the score put South Range up 21-0.  With 3:30 left, Skripac would strike through the air once again- this time to the other head of the three-headed dragon, Shane Lindstrom- this time from 20 yards out to put the Raiders up 28-0 at intermission.

That same combination of Skripac and Lindstrom would waste no time in the second half, on the first drive- connecting from 37 yards away on the left sideline, putting the Raiders up 35, and starting the mercy clock.

The clock would drip away the hopes of a Liberty comeback until the Leopards put together an impressive drive with 2:06 to go in the contest when senior Derek DeMattia tossed a strike to the endzone, finding Dwayne Moody from 20 yards out and putting an exclamation point on a solid season for Liberty.

Combined, the teams ran 96 plays, 55 for Liberty, and 41 for the Raiders.  South Range racked up 321 total yards to Liberty’s 168.

Billy Skripac only needed 8 pass attempts on the night, completing 6- 3 of which being touchdowns, and garnering 145 yards through the air, and adding another 14 yards on the ground.

Aidan Dominguez provided the bulk of the yards with 5 totes for 64 yards and a score.  Tyler Remish had 51 yards and a tuddy as well.  Blake Ewert also had a strong showing with 4 carries and 33 yards.  The Raiders had ten different rushers on offense throughout the night, showcasing their diversity in the backfield of strength, speed, and agility.

Lindstrom was the leading receiver with 4 receptions and 107 yards along with his pair of touchdowns.  Ayden Leon, JD Crouse, and Gaven Nagy each had a reception as well.

Defensively Tristan Toy had 7 tackles on the night.  Isaiah Slabach chipped in four tackles, and the bash brother duo of Bailey Ryan and Chris Colucci combined for 7 tackles, and two sacks.

Derek DeMattia went 13 of 26 for Liberty under center, accounting for 116 yards, a score, and a pick on the night.  John Lard had 12 yards rushing, alongside Dwayne Moody’s 9.  Tawann Tutwiler led the way for the receiving corps, hauling in 3 grabs for 51 yards.  Moody added 45 yards receiving as well for the Leopards.

South Range (11-0) will once again host next week, as they invite the Garfield G-Men to town for an All-YSN matchup.  That game will be available along with all the other games on YSN next Friday for $9.99 with the Power Pass.

GARFIELD RESPONDS WITH CRUCIAL WIN

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GARRETTSVILLE, OH- As we wrap up the regular season and get ready for postseason football, matchups in week 10 are always the most fun to watch. Garfield and Liberty faced off Friday night in a rematch from last season as the G-Men were looking to keep this season’s week 10 game more in their hands. Both teams started off hot with opening scores, but Garfield’s power would be too much for the Leopards as the G-Men walked away with a 56-27 victory. 

Liberty got off to a great start with 87-yard bomb by Tyson Lawrence-Watson who found Dwayne Moody for the opening score. Garfield roared right back with a 53-yard pass of their own when Eric Geddes lobbed one up to Deacon Sommer. But just like last year, the Leopards punched right back to regain the lead from a kickoff return after the G-Men tied it up. Unfortunately for Liberty, Garfield caught on to their game plan after that score and stopped the Leopards speed from hurting them. The G-Men’s defense locked it up for the remainder of the game to take home the prize of closing the regular season off with a win. 

Looking ahead into the playoffs, Liberty is not done yet as they are expected to settle into the 16th seed and possibly collide with South Range in the opening round. Garfield is expected to settle into the 8th seed and host Conneaut.

YSN will have both playoff games available along with many others with the Playoff Power Pass on October 28th.

*Contributed By YSN’s Brendan Miller