Basketball

War paint

Talented Liberty’s season turns north with first win against struggling Fallsburg Comets

By RICHARD A. ROSS

LIBERTY, NY — The winless Liberty Indians took to their home court for the first time this season on December 17 to take on an old foe and league rival, the Fallsburg Comets, who were also looking to break into the win column.

Year in and year out, the rivalry endures and the atmosphere ripples with electricity. To the thundering pulse of the Liberty pep band and the rising din from fans and cheerleaders, the tip went up as Liberty coach Jason Semo and Fallsburg coach Pete Dworetsky watched with rapt attention.

The season is young, but to climb that steep mountain toward success necessitates a requisite first victory.

By night’s end, it was Liberty that emerged with that precious first win, a 58-33 division triumph to offset a prior loss to O’Neill.

In a division rife with talented teams, Liberty looked to state its case as it turned its special brand of defense on the Comets, who were missing Matt Seletsky and Sam Ingber, both sidelined with illness.

Fallsburg must quickly find a way to compensate for the graduation of standouts Darius Buckner and Randy Gilmore, who left for Schenectady Community College, leaving the black and gold bereft of 70 percent of its firepower.

Now is the time to reassemble new pieces.

That task begins with point guard Jason Corley, whom Dworetsky refers to as “the glue that holds us together.” Corley led his team with 14 points in this encounter, but his early foul trouble in games thus far and again in this one have caused him to have to sit.

That made Liberty’s agenda of running its fast break and well-schooled offense that much easier. Had Liberty been more careful with the basketball and more effective in its numerous second-chance opportunities, many of which came from Dashawn Williamson’s 15 rebounds, this game would have been an even greater mismatch than it was.

Liberty’s size and rapid ball rotation quickly took their toll on Fallsburg’s players, who were swarmed by helping defenders that contested shots and raided passing lanes.

Turnovers plagued both teams. Failure to take care of the basketball was key in Liberty’s loss to O’Neill, as the Indians gave it back an uncanny 36 times. That quirk remains a major concern for Semo, who was glad for this victory but who reminded his team that they had not played the brand of basketball that will carry them where they want to go.

Liberty got an early six points from Ivan Rivera as it raced out to a 16-6 lead by the end of quarter. Rivera would go on to lead the Indians with 16 points, while Williamson had 14, seven of which came in the second quarter. Steals fueled a 6-0 Liberty run that broke open the early closeness. Fallsburg had four turnovers in the first quarter; Liberty had three.

Four of Fallsburg’s first-quarter points came from Corley free throws. By night’s end, the Comets were eight-of-16 from the stripe. Liberty got four points from Herman Drayton in the first quarter. A junior varsity standout a year ago, Drayton looks to blend his size, quickness and energy to Liberty’s core of veterans, comprised of Ryan VanLieu, Williamson, Rivera and Connor Hinton. Calvin Henry helped with a swishing three-pointer.

When all of its cylinders are firing, Liberty should be able to outrun many of its opponents this year. A fray with hot-shooting Sullivan West in Lake Huntington on December 22 shed some more light on the matter (see riverreporter.sports.com ).

The Comets had their best output in a 12-point second quarter with six from senior Colin Whittaker, including a twisting beauty through the lane off a steal. Whittaker is vital to Fallsburg’s potential success..

He and Mike Melko are deft outside shooters, but with harrying defenses like those evinced by all of the other teams in the division, Fallsburg will need better ball rotation and an inside presence to give it the kick outs it needs to score.

Melko was limited to a trio of free throws from a missed trey. Corley canned the Comets’ only three during the frame, this from a team that historically has had a rapacious downtime attack.

Dan Seletsky did his best in the low post, but Liberty’s agility and size rendered him less effective. Liberty led 32-18 at the half as Rivera hit one at the buzzer, but Semo was far from pleased as 11 first-half turnovers were very much an issue.

In the third quarter, Liberty strangled the gasping Comets, holding them to four points on lone buckets by Seletsky and Corley.

Meanwhile, Liberty’s offense produced a game-low output of 10 points. Rivera and Williamson each had four in the period as Semo subbed in his bench players to give them needed minutes. Dontrea McLauren, Chris Soto, Chris Lake, Steve Hewlett and Matt Hersh made appearances at times during the third and fourth quarters. An authoritative block by Drayton and steals by Rivera were highlights, but again, Liberty’s haste resulted in more turnovers. Fallsburg had more too.

Seven Liberty players scored in the fourth quarter as the Indians outscored the Comets 16-11. Fallsburg’s turnover total ended at 17; Liberty’s nightly exchange rate was 19.

Shooting only three-for-11 from the stripe was another issue. Semo saw the effort thus: “Good things happen when we control the tempo. It’s always good to get a league win, though we understand where we are right now. Every day we want to get better.

“We have a couple of goals every day and we were successful in some of those things tonight. I thought we pushed the ball up the floor well and defensively, we did a nice job holding them to one and done,” he said.

“Offensively, our kids have been so focused on running our stuff that they haven’t always taken the open shot. Tonight they took what was given and didn’t force that extra pass,” he added. Semo looked forward to the Sullivan West game on December 22 when the Indians (1-3, 1-1 OCIAA) took on their fierce rival that they swept last year 78-54 and 58-40 en route to qualifying for sectionals and breaking an eight-year drought.

The Westies (3-1) had yet to play a league game and were coming off a stellar performance by Brad Reimer, who had 30 in the win over Livingston Manor.

Fallsburg (0-3, 0-1 OCIAA) got a respite; its game with Burke was postponed by snow.

Dworetsky summed up the Liberty game: “They’re bigger and quicker, but I thought we handled them well until Jason got his third foul. He and Colin drove the ball and looked for the open outside shot.” Asked about his team’s morale, Dworetsky responded, “We’ve got two months to go and we need to keep working until we get to where we need to be. The team recognizes how much we’re going to have to work to get that done.”

Visit riverreportersports.com for an album of photos from the game.

Up the court, down the court,

Cross- court they thundered,

As anxious coaches watched,

Both stood and wondered:

Will this one be the game

That starts our run to fame?

Or will efforts be in vain

And hopes again blunted?

Out of this clash of foes,

Liberty’s Tribe arose,

This time it wasn’t close

As the Comets they sundered.

Big games now loom ahead,

For both the black and red,

Have pride and never dread

Though at times you’re outnumbered.

Comets and noble Tribe

Race down that court with pride

Though you may trail by five

Or lead by a hundred.

The great game of basketball

Beckons you with its call,

To give your very all,

To face life undaunted.

(Written with all due respect to Alfred Lloyd Tennyson’s poem “The Charge of the Light Brigade”)