Sullivan County Community College Summer League Boys Basketball Playoffs

New kids soar to the top

Liberty’s young team surpasses Sullivan West for summer league title

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LOCH SHELDRAKE, NY — Their gleaming smiles said it all.

The joy of Liberty’s 39-34 summer-league-championship win over Sullivan West on August 4 was sweet, made sweeter by Liberty’s recent basketball doldrums (6-14 last winter). Truth be told the win wasn’t all that surprising.

Those who watched the Indians’ athletic, junior varsity kids play last winter pontificated that once those kids got a chance to join forces with varsity players like Lakarri Byrd and Mac Isseks, the tide would turn for the red storm. Such speculation about Liberty’s rising stock was confirmed as Coach Dave Slater came to summer league rearmed with talented kids sporting size, quickness and athleticism.

Liberty entered the playoffs at 5-2 having split their games against Sullivan West and Roscoe. After edging out the Bulldogs 48-46 in the second game of their regular summer league season match ups, Liberty quickly disposed of the Sullivan West ‘B’ squad in the playoff opener and then turned their attention to Roscoe in the second round on August 2. Liberty eliminated the Blue Devils by the score of 65-58.

Liberty’s win set up a final against top-seed Sullivan West, a team severely diminished by the loss of Derek Hahn, who suffered a summer league-ending knee injury on July 2. Hahn’s summer ended on an ill-advised, last-second tip dunk attempt in a meaningless inter-squad game against the Sullivan West ‘B’ squad. The damage to Hahn’s kneecap should not hinder him from playing this winter, but it was a scary moment. Hahn didn’t play in Sullivan West’s July 21 loss to Liberty and neither did standout guard Paul Pitz.

Pitz was back for the finals but unlike previous games where he freely lit it up, his shooting seemed off in the game where it was needed most. Sullivan West had a bye in the first round and then beat Livingston Manor 57-52 on August 2 to advance to the finals.

For the past two summers, the boys’ final was a top-shelf game pitting the quick and slashing Sullivan Bearcats made up of players from Monticello, Tri-Valley and Burke against the daunting Downsville Eagles, a section four perennial heavyweight. Those games went down to the wire and featured great passing, shooting and razor thin leads.

This year’s game was anything but. More reminiscent of a second-tier, street pick-up game, this game lacked form, flow or finesse but with the absence of the aforementioned teams, this was the best of what boys summer league had to offer this year.

Liberty junior Tyrone White, who looks like he is a player to be reckoned with, scored the game’s first four points. It took the Bulldogs nearly five minutes to get on the board when Ross Bernhardt dropped in a bucket. Byrd’s three stretched the lead to 7-2, but shortly thereafter Sullivan West’s Bret Youmans tied it up with a basket and one. Both teams seemed out of synch, and after Pitz tied the game at 10-all, Liberty inched ahead and took a 17-14 lead into half time.

A Yeomans’ free throw was the second half’s first score, but Isseks drove to the rim on a nice cut. Alan Ackermann answered back with a three-point play and Liberty nursed a 19-17 edge, which expanded when Pete Panagakos hit a floater and White made a strong move on Kevin Pinkel to give the Indians a six-point lead with 11:14 remaining.

Sullivan West’s Garret Owen drew accolades with two strong drives to the basket in the next few minutes. Liberty’s White and Andre Brandon replied with strong scooping buckets. Baskets by Pitz, Kevin Brewer and Bernhardt kept the game close, but a second Byrd trey gave some breathing room at 37-31 with 1:55 to go. Sullivan West went to a press and got to within three at 37-34 with the ball and a chance to tie, but Brewer traveled and the Indians played keep-away, icing the 39-34 win.

The summer league action between the two class B teams is apt to be a preliminary for the real deal this winter when Sullivan West will try to make a bid to get back to the sectional finals for the third straight year. A healthy Hahn and a backcourt of Pitz and Kevin Cappiello should be interesting. Meanwhile, look for Liberty to factor in with Byrd, White, Isseks, Dave Brown and Panagakos in the mix.