Liberty's defense leads win

The Leopards beat Newton Falls to set up Friday's showdown with LaBrae.
By JIM FLICK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
LIBERTY -- A determined defense and balanced scoring led Liberty to a convincing 63-47 win Tuesday night over Newton Falls.
The game was a prelude to Liberty's Friday night showdown against LaBrae with the Trumbull Athletic Conference title at stake.
"We know it's going to be a battle," Liberty coach Burt Stellers said. "But we put an emphasis on taking care of Tuesday before we worry about Friday."
Humphrey leads way
A key to the Leopards' win over Newton Falls was the all-around play of senior John Humphrey, who scored 14 points and snagged six rebounds while playing outstanding defense against the Tigers' leading scorer, Matt Dillon.
Before the match-up with Liberty, Dillon averaged 13 points per game, but Humphrey limited Dillon to four points.
Liberty was led in scoring by 6-foot-5-inch senior Edward Kershaw, who tossed in 15 points, while junior Ryan Gillum contributed 13 points.
Newton Falls' top scorers Tuesday were senior Joe Murphy and sophomore Justin Bennett, who tallied 12 points apiece.
Liberty outrebounded Newton Falls 21-15, and the Leopards' tenacious defense forced 18 turnovers.
Liberty's offense took good care of the ball, turning it over only nine times.
"We tried to force the tempo," Stellers said.
Tigers stay close
Liberty tried to control the pace of the game from the start, but Newton Falls kept the game close early. At the end of the first quarter, Liberty led, 18-14.
But the Leopards took control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Tigers 14-7 to take a 32-21 halftime lead. Humphrey limited Dillon to a single basket in the first half.
Liberty continued to control the game in the third quarter, again outscoring Newton Falls by a 14-7 margin.
Dillon scored the first basket of the second half, which turned out to be his last points of the game.
After Dillon's basket, the aggressive Liberty defense swarmed Newton Falls each time the Tigers dribbled the ball to their end of the court, frequently forcing turnovers and missed shots.
In fact, after Dillon's basket Newton Falls missed four consecutive shots before the team scored again.