Liberty leads from start to finish in defeating Heritage, 56-35

By Juliette Johnson, Correspondent

The Liberty High School boys basketball team beat the Heritage Patriots on Monday evening, 56-35.

Liberty’s leading scorer was junior Jayden Derla with 11 points. Derla started strong for his team in the first quarter and helped them keep their lead.

Upon facing each other, the tension and competition on the court was intense. Both teams looked forward to a competitive atmosphere. But even though they tried to power through, the Patriots fell short and the first quarter ended in a 25-5 Liberty lead.

In the second quarter, the Bison maintained control. Liberty kept its lead, with both sides defending their zones and working together with their teammates. By halftime, Liberty had a 31-13 lead.

The Patriots appeared to come into the third quarter with much more confidence and energy than before. They claimed the first points of the quarter but still had a lot of catching up to do. Liberty raced past Heritage in this quarter, expanding their original lead to 45-22 at the end of the third quarter.

While the Patriots scored more points in the third and fourth quarters, Liberty’s defense stood their ground. Liberty scored another 11 points to end the game at 56-35.

The leading scorer for Heritage was senior Victory Joice with 13 points.

On the Patriots’ energy shift after halftime, Heritage head coach Nyron Jones said, “I told the seniors, I told the underclassmen, this is our last home game of the season. Just come out with energy, make your family proud, and play for each other. That was really the message.”