BRENTWOOD, Calif. - A fast start and a strong finish had the Heritage side of the gymnasium at Liberty going crazy on Tuesday night, but it was a game-long effort by the Patriots' defense which kept them within striking distance, eventually leaving with a 59-51 victory over the Lions in the Bay Valley Athletic League opener for both schools.
"Every game could be like this for us, where we have to grind it out in the fourth quarter," said Heritage coach Carly Perales.
The Patriots (7-8, 1-0) led 12-5 after one quarter, but Liberty was not about to go quietly on its home court. The Lions outscored Heritage 24-10 over the next eight minutes to take a 29-22 lead at the half. Senior Braden Basmagian heated up from the outside for Liberty in the second quarter, hitting four three-pointers and scoring 12 of his team-high 14 points in the quarter.
Kahli Custard was the primary scorer for the Lions (8-7, 0-1) in the third quarter, despite struggling from the free-throw line, where he was 2-for-10 for the night. Custard scored seven of his 12 points in the third quarter, as Liberty pushed its lead into double digits, leading by as many as 13 points and holding a 42-32 advantage headed to the fourth.
The fourth quarter, however, belonged to Heritage senior Sebastian Duran and the Patriots' defense. Heritage outscored Liberty 27-9 in the final quarter, with Duran exploding for 18 of his game-high 27 points in the final eight minutes, including a pair of three-pointers and 10 made free throws. A late technical foul resulted in four straight free throw attempts for Duran, and he made all four in the final minute to seal the victory, seconds after his three from the right wing had extended the lead to four points.
"We've really been encouraging (Sebastian) to take more open looks," Perales said. "At the same time, it was our defense which won the game for us."
Liberty's final lead in the game came in the final two minutes, when the Lions led 49-48. Lamar Murphy, however, drained a pair of free throws to give the Patriots a 50-49 lead, before Duran's big three with 49 seconds left in the game.
Heritage will now host Freedom on Friday, after the Falcons lost to Pittsburg in their league opener, while Liberty will host Deer Valley. Deer Valley used a big fourth quarter to defeat Antioch, 49-47, on Tuesday night in its league opener.
Dougherty Valley topples De La Salle
A road date at De La Salle did not faze one of the hottest teams in the NCS right now, as Dougherty Valley defeated the Spartans, 71-65, behind 31 points and eight rebounds from senior Robby Beasley.
Junior Aidan Sevilla added 16 points for the Wildcats, while junior Jacob Lacey had eight points, and Donovan Sevilla and freshman Ryan Beasley had seven points each in the win.
Dougherty Valley improved to 15-2 overall, 4-0 in the EBAL with the win, while De La Salle fell to 11-4, 3-1.
Granada holds on to stun Dublin
Granada held on after Dublin nearly erased a 10-point deficit in the final minute, defeating the Gaels, 55-53. Dublin entered the game as the top-ranked team in the Prep2Prep NCS rankings. Jayden Johnston led the Matadors in scoring.
Around the NCS
Juniors Donovan Tynes and Johnathan Langford scored 12 points each as Moreau Catholic beat Newark Memorial, 52-46. Junior D'aunte Johnson added nine points for the Mariners, while junior Kaleb Elarms-Orr scored eight points.
Junior Miko Brown scored 16 points while Trey Baker added 14 points for Kennedy-Richmond, which edged Bethel, 64-63, in TCAL-Stone action. Senior Jamarea Brown and junior Bobbie Williams rounded out a quartet of Eagles in double figures, as they scored 12 and 10 points, respectively.
