With his team clinging to a one-point lead, Liberty Ranch Hawks varsity boys basketball coach Josh Williams challenged his players to step up their play during a fiery halftime speech.
The Hawks answered with their play, pulling away from the visiting Anderson Cubs for a 67-45 victory in the first round of the CIF Northern California Regional Division V
Liberty Ranch joins the 2012-13 squad as the only teams in school history to win a NorCal playoff game. Now the eighth-seeded Hawks will travel to the Bay Area to face No. 1 Marin Catholic on Saturday at 6 p.m. With another victory, they will become the school’s first team to reach the NorCal semifinals.
“I kind of got into them at the half and challenged their character,” Williams said. “Just how do you want to be remembered?”
Liberty Ranch delivered an emphatic response, outscoring Anderson 34-13 in the second half.
The Hawks came out strong, taking a 10-4 lead on a jump shot by DeAndre Stallings. The Cubs came back and tied it up at 12-12 on a three-point bucket by Mikey Maasen before the Hawks scored again for a 14-12 lead after one quarter.
The game remained close during the second quarter, with the Cubs taking a brief lead, 32-29, after Aaron Miller sunk a 3-point basket.
The Hawks took over in the third quarter, with Stallings scoring nine of his 21 points as Liberty Ranch built a 15-point cushion, 51-36, going into the fourth. Stallings scored another five points in the fourth quarter, including a shot from downtown.
Other top scorers for the Hawks were Jordan Windley who had 20 points, Garrison Halsey netted 12, Isaiah Halsey and Will Hood scored four, while Marcus Guerrero, Jeff Baptista and Xavier Ricci each had two.