Hartman sparks LaBrae
Danny Hartman's 3-point goal lifted LaBrae past Liberty, 53-50.
By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
LIBERTY -- Like most kids, Danny Hartman has practiced shooting a game-winning, last-second 3-pointer a thousand times in his backyard.
Only on Friday, it was for real.
With six seconds left and the game tied at 50 at Liberty High School, Hartman rolled to his right, pulled up two feet behind the line and, with a hand in his face ... swish.
"That's the kind of shot you dream about as a kid," said Hartman, who said he'd never made a game-winning shot before. "You're in your backyard counting down ... 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
"I wanted the shot. They knew I wanted it, too."
Still, after the shot, Liberty had 2.8 seconds and one final chance.
Leopard senior Donovan Fletcher threw a full-court pass to senior Ed Kershaw, who came off a screen just behind the 3-point line. But Kershaw's game-tying attempt was blocked by LaBrae senior Kyle Rowan, sparking bedlam in the LaBrae stands
Final score: LaBrae 53, Liberty 50.
Lost share of title
The Leopards (14-6, 11-3) didn't just lose the game, they also lost a share of the Trumbull Athletic Conference title. Lakeview beat Brookfield 57-51 Friday to win the title outright.
"There's not a whole lot you can say," Liberty coach Burt Stellers said. "[Hartman] hit a big one."
He did more than that. Hartman, who finished with a game-high 24 points, also made a free throw to tie the game at 48 with 1:23 left.
Seconds later, Hartman found Rowan alone underneath for a basket that gave LaBrae a 50-48 lead.
Liberty tied the score with 30 seconds left when Kershaw beat two Viking defenders on a baseline drive, finishing with an acrobatic underhand layup. But, in the end, it wasn't enough.
Droughts hurt Liberty
The Leopards led by 12 points midway through the third quarter, but two three-minute scoring droughts in the final 12 minutes, combined with poor free throw shooting in the fourth quarter, cost them the game. Liberty shot 7 of 15 from the line, missing its final five attempts.
"That's been our problem all year," said Stellers, whose team averages about 60 percent from the line. "It was a bad night for it to come back and bite us."
The Leopards also had a few calls go against them in the final minutes, sparking widespread booing from the Liberty side after the game.
"It was a very ... intense game," LaBrae coach Gregg Isler said. "Intense is the word I'm looking for.
"I thought we did a good job on the defensive boards in the second half and we played good defense."
Costly defeats
LaBrae and Liberty were tied with Lakeview for the league lead last week, but the Vikings and Leopards were ultimately haunted by costly losses to sub-.500 teams.
Liberty's loss came against Hubbard on Jan. 6, while LaBrae's came against Newton Falls on Feb. 7.
The Vikings (17-3, 11-3) were all but eliminated with a 30-point loss to Lakeview last Friday.
"We gave up the chance to control our own destiny," Isler said. "We just had to do what we could do."
Rowan added 17 points and six rebounds, while Hartman finished with nine rebounds and four assists.
Kershaw had 17 points and eight rebounds, while Donovan Fletcher added 10 points and 10 rebounds and Mychal Doblanski had 13 points.
"LaBrae hit some big shots," said Stellers, whose team beat the Vikings 66-63 on Jan. 27. "They were just a little bit better tonight."
scalzo@vindy.com