Liberty boys get rivalry win over North Side

North Side jumped off to a quick start on Homecoming night, but Liberty weathered the storm early to pick up an 88-68 win over the Indians in District 15-AA play.

The Indians (5-9, 0-4) scored seven straight points in the first two minutes, capitalizing on some Crusader turnovers, but Liberty calmed down and responded with a 13-0 run of its own to take the 13-7 lead with four minutes left in the first quarter.

“It was homecoming (for North Side),” said Liberty coach Terrell Green. “We were a little hyped up and had some turnovers early, and we were not ready to play.”

North Side cut the lead to 13-11 with 2:32 left in the quarter, but Liberty (7-9, 2-3) went on a 7-0 run to make it 20-11 with 1:36 left in the quarter on the way to taking a 20-14 lead entering the second quarter.

With 5:11 left in the half and Liberty leading 24-19, the Crusaders went on another 7-0 run over the next minute for the 31-19 advantage. Both teams traded baskets for the rest of the quarter, with Liberty going into the locker room with the 43-34 lead.

North Side had moments in the second half where it looked like the Indians might be ready to make a run, but Liberty always had an answer.

“We have been working on getting better,” said Green. “We have had some tough games where we were up 17 and lost, so we are trying to learn from our mistakes and not be complacent when we have a lead.”

Four different Crusaders finished with double-digits. Demarius Bond led all scorers with 31 points, while Elijah Harris and Martavious Moore finished with 17 apiece. Shermar Henderson finished with 11 points.

Mychael Robinson led the Indians with 23 points, while Alantae Peterson finished with 16 points.