The final score may have been closer than most had predicted and the game was an even tighter contest than the final score would indicate as the upstart Liberty Christian Lions challenged crosstown rival Anderson for Madison County supremacy Friday night at the Eagles Nest.
But, at the end of the night, Anderson proved to be too much for the young Lions as Damien King scored 20 points and led a dominant team effort on the glass with 14 rebounds and the Indians took their third straight county title with a 67-56 win over the Lions.
Coach Donnie Bowling’s team became the third team ever to win three straight and the first since Pendleton Heights turned the threepeat from 2010-2012. Heavy favorites, Anderson (8-2) was not surprised that the Class 1A Lions were able to stay close throughout in the first county final to include two Anderson city schools.
“It was a tougher game,” Bowling said. “People say with a rivalry game, you have to throw out the records. They’re a good team. I knew they were good, but they’re pretty savvy.”
Liberty Christian (8-5) showed early it was not in Frankton to just roll over for the Indians, rather that they were looking for their first title since 2015.
Twice, freshman Kendrick Martin gave the Lions the lead in the first quarter, at 4-2 on a rebound basket and 13-12 on a drive after he collected one of his two steals as the capacity crowd roared its approval.
But Anderson responded with a 14-0 run, started by three free throws by Christian Townsend to close out the first quarter and capped by a Nyrel Ingram rebound basket as the Indians surged to a 26-13 lead.
Ingram contributed seven points and three rebounds off the Anderson bench.
“That was big when we were struggling down low, he came in and gave us big minutes,” Bowling said. “That was big for us, sometimes those guys don’t get a lot of credit.”
The Lions responded with a 13-2 run of their own, pulling within 28-26 on a pair of T.J. English free throws before heading to the locker room down just four points at 32-28.
Liberty averaged 15 turnovers per game heading into the final and, while they committed 19 against Anderson, during stretches where the Lions — with three freshman starters — took care of the ball, they stayed close.
“Our offensive focus was patience,” LC coach Norm Anderson said. “Execute and patience. Once they got it, they did just that. We did fail by giving up some second chance points, and that was the difference in the game.”
The Indians seemed to take control after intermission, scoring the first nine points of the third quarter to take a 41-28 lead.
But the only senior to play Friday for LC made sure the Lions stayed within striking distance.
Devon Kelley — sidelined with foul trouble — scored at the 4:11 mark and came right back with a 3-point play. He finished with nine points in the game, seven coming during the third quarter when the rest of the team was struggling.
“I’m super proud of Devon,” Anderson said. “He played hard and he led those young men.”
Liberty got as close as four points at 53-49 as Martin scored in transition after a Tywaine Fuller steal.
But King then scored on a rebound basket, one of his 14 rebounds and part of a 44-29 team edge, to stop the Lions momentum. A subsequent technical foul against the Lions led to a four-point Anderson possession and a 59-49 lead at the 2:16 mark, essentially sealing the title for Anderson.
King and sophomore Collin Lewis — who finished with nine points, six rebounds, and four assists — played extensive varsity minutes on last year’s title team, but for players like Javon Warfield and Christian Townsend, this was the first championship at the varsity level where the two contributed heavily.
Townsend may well have been the unofficial MVP for the week after a game saving defensive effort against Pendleton Heights and 24 points against Lapel in the semifinals. He added nine points Friday, and was 7-of-9 at the free throw line.
“This feels good to keep the streak alive and get this win for the city,” Townsend said. “Keeping the streak alive means everything.”
“The coaches and players together, we just had to stay calm and finish the win out,” Warfield added.
While no fan of moral victories, Liberty’s coach had to smile about the Lions winning a pair of true road games — at Alexandria and at Frankton — to reach the final, where they hung with 4A Anderson to the end.
“I put it on the board before the game, ‘Go out there and have fun’,” he said. “We lace our shoes up the same way they do, go out there play hard and have fun. We checked off the boxes, we fell short and I don’t do moral victories, but I’m proud of these guys. They turned a corner.”
English and Martin scored 13 points each while A’Marian Page added 11 points and three blocks for the Lions.
This article appeared in The Herald Bulletin.