The Catskill Chronicle

Up for Two. Liberty’s Sierra Boxberger.

Story and photos by Ted Waddell

Liberty’s Gwen Fuller reaches for the stars.

LIBERTY – What a way to start a game of hoops.

In one of the more unusual twists of the rulebook, Thursday’s OCIAA non-league girl’s varsity basketball game between the home team Lady
Indians of Liberty (2-9) and the Port Jervis Lady Raiders (2-9), the game started out at the free throw line.

It seems as if one of Port’s hoopster forgot her jersey, and when a teammate gave up hers so her comrade could take to the court, the numbers didn’t jive and a ref called a technical.

Two points later from the free throw line and a game jump starting ‘three’ from outside the arch, and Liberty was up 5-0.

Liberty’s Olivia Baum on offense, Port’s Sarah Beirne on defense.

With about two minutes left in the first frame, Port’s Tori Ostram shaved the Lady Indians lead to a point (7-6) with a steal converted into a bucket.

Late in the third period, Ostram repeated her ‘steal equals two’ act, bringing the Raiders to within seven, but the home team was still up 26-19.

Liberty’s Justice Muniz-Dingevan opened up the fourth frame with a ‘three’ from beyond the paint, and Liberty went on to post a 42-31 win into the scorebook at final buzzer.

Liberty outpaced the opposition in the first two frames 7-6 and 11-4 to take a 18-12 half time lead into the locker room.

The Raiders came out on fire in the third period as they outshot Liberty 15-10, but in the final frame the home squad hoopsters rebounded to out gun the visitors 14-8.

Liberty’s Gwen Fuller and Port’s Marissa Carlton contest possession.

Liberty’s hot hands: Victoria Baum (15points including two ‘3’s’), Alyssa Corbett (13 points including a ‘3’), and Justice Muniz-Dingevan added a ‘three’.

Port Jervis: Tori Ostram posted 12 points, and Marissa Carton contributed a ‘three’.

Stats from the free throw line: LCS 6/11 (55%), PJHS 0/8. “Both teams played very hard,” said Lady Raiders coach Kyle Ross. “We have a very young team, and it was a good learning experience…they fought themselves back.”

Ross said that in the wake of the game starting out with a technical, his team took to the floor with three sophomore starters on the front line, and “did a great job of keeping their composure.”

“It was great gesture by the player on the Port Jervis side,” said Lady Indians coach Ryan Baldock of the jersey switch that resulted in a technical.

Incoming. Liberty’s Olivia Baum passes it inside to the shooting lane.

Liberty’s Victoria Baum played all 32 minutes, and was tasked with guarding Port’s top gun Sally Santiago, holding her to six points The first time the Lady Indians faced the Lady Raiders earlier this season they were up by 16 points at the half, only to lose by seven in the end. In that game, Santiago posted 20 points.

Baldock’s take on Thursday’s game?

“The girls on both teams played their butts off,” he said. “It started off kind of sloppy and then the teams cleaned it up, and the shots started falling. It was a great high school girl’s basketball game.”

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