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Rested Rushton pounces on Mustangs
Liberty rallies to defeat Mathews
By BOB ETTINGER
LIBERTY TOWNSHIP
Liberty senior Dra Rushton is one of those athletes who can see things others don’t while playing at full speed.
Given the chance to sit and watch the first quarter against Mathews on Wednesday night, Rushton saw the exact way to he was going to dissect the Mustangs. He executed that plan expertly in leading the Leopards to a 73-66 victory on Pete Prokop Court.
“I just got to see everything that was happening,” Rushton said. “I was watching and picking the spots I could attack and the spots my teammates would be open. I knew the guys in the game [in the first quarter] would follow the normal plan and we would go in and follow.”
Rushton entered the game with fellow guards Josh Green and Kevin Code to start the second quarter with Liberty (2-6) trailing, 23-14, and proceeded to score 10 points as the Leopards fought back to within two, 36-34, at the half.
“I just attacked,” Rushton said. “I saw that I could attack. [Mathews] is a well-coached team. I saw my spots. I saw what our players were doing and I knew I could do it a little bit better. Before the game Coach and I talked and he told me the guys feed off me. I buckled down and took advantage. The guys do go off my energy, so I was just running around like a wild man.”
Rushton finished the night with 32 points, six rebounds, three assists and six steals.
“I just wanted to get the win for the home fans,” Rushton said. “I was just tired of losing. I wanted to get one for the guys and I wanted to get one for these coaches because they take time out of their day to love us up.”
Rushton added 14 more points in the third period as the Leopards turned the 36-34 halftime deficit into a 56-48 lead heading into the final eight minutes.
“[Rushton] pushed the ball and he runs,” Liberty coach Chris Kohl said. “He makes the others run and he gets everyone involved. They know he’s going to attack the glass and he gets everyone going. We’re a better team when we push the ball and he is leading the attack.”
Ezell Brown added 17 points, six boards and a steal for the Leopards.
The Mustangs (2-6) built a 23-14 lead through the end of the first period behind the sharp-shooting of Sean McDivitt, who was 4-for-4 from beyond the arc in netting 14 points.
“Sean’s a good player who’s been with us four years,” Mathews coach Mike Weymer said. “Early on, our set plays were working and he was getting the shots he’s used to getting. He had four threes and they were all off set plays. They took him out of his rhythm and made it tough for us to run our sets. Liberty turned up the pressure on the perimeter and took us out of what we wanted to do.”
McDivitt finished with 28 points, but managed just two points in the second and four more in the third as Mathews fell off the pace.
“They were finding McDivitt [in the first quarter],” Kohl said. “They were setting nice screens and he had a beautiful rhythm. He has a nice shot. Dra came in and we put him on [McDivitt]. Dra is a little more physical and we wanted to take him out of his rhythm. Credit my assistant, Charlie Russell for the defense. He made a nice adjustment and it worked out well.”
Tanner Hunt had 12 points and Ryan Gates 10 more for the Mustangs.