Liberty basketball rebuilding a bit faster than Peoria rival

It’s always a full house and a loud one when Sunrise Mountain meets Liberty. This year’s tripleheader finished with a boys showdown between rebuilt teams – Liberty graduated three seniors that now play college basketball and former Sunrise Mountain star Carter Gittens now plays for Division I Weber State

Jan. 19: #15 (6A) Liberty 68, #19 (5A) Sunrise Mountain 58

THE STAKES

These schools have not competed in the same division or region for about a decade. But this one is for North Peoria bragging rights and always a little more personal. Winner gets to keep a trophy too.

A large number of the players in Friday’s game had not played in this game before, at least on a varsity level. And they had not been in an environment like this before.

“Some of the issues early were, none of them could hear,” Wood said.

THE SCENE

Was this the most dramatic or compelling basketball game I’ve covered in this series? No. But it probably was my favorite night of the series. It was a true tripleheader this time. After the girls game, won by Sunrise Mountain, the schools Unified Sports teams played. These teams of boys and girls, some with intellectual disabilities and some without did not play a full game. But this wasn’t just a halftime interlude. The teams played two eight-minute halves and Liberty (and Arizona Cardinals) PA announcer Jim Barnett was there to call the game and give the kids the star treatment they deserve.

PLAYER OF THE GAME

It’s a pretty high bar for Ring Nyeri to clear, since the senior forward is averaging 19.5 points, 11.6 rebounds and 3.4 blocks. He was up to his usual standard with 21 points and six boards. But 6-3 junior Stephan Miller was the difference maker in this one. He finished with 17 points and eight rebounds, but his key stat was five offensive rebounds as a guard, leading to 10 points on tip ins.

“Before the game my coach told me I had the athleticism and that he wanted me to get 10 points off offensive boards. That’s just what I was looking to do,” Miller said.

PLAY OF THE NIGHT

Sunrise Mountain hit three treys in the third quarter to climb within seven points as the fourth started. Senior forward Jason Higgins scored to cut the Lions’ advantage to 55-50. Miller scored and was fouled. He missed the free throw, but managed to haul in the rebound on a tipped ball and lay it in for a 59-50 Liberty lead. Mustangs senior JJ Martin sank two more three to cut the visitors’ deficit to six at 59-53 and again at 62-56. Sunrise Mountain got as close as 62-58 but Miller’s board work gave the Lions enough of a cushion to weather the comeback.

5 THINGS I LEARNED

· Liberty went into the season with two sure things, Nyeri and junior Jackson Hunter, who flashed older brother Caden’s shooting touch and scoring chops in the offseason. If Miller can be a dynamic scoring guard and slasher as Nyeri and Hunter handle most of the playmaking, Liberty is closer to contending in the 6A bracket. The Lions may not have to worry about the Open at all, much less the final 8 this year, as they’re on the borderline for the original 32-team field.

· A fourth crucial piece is starting to fit on Wood’s team. Senior guard Aiden Dunne started slow but finished with eight points. The Paradise Honors transfer can be a key secondary source of shooting and ballhandling. Junior forward Mark Dugid handles the big man work inside.

· The Lions' next game showed Wood's team is closer to 6A title contention. Liberty beat O'Connor 82-76 at home Jan. 23. The Eagles were ranked as #5 in the conference coming in and dropped to #7 as Miller dropped in 23 points.

· Sunrise Mountain is a solid team without a true go-to player. Martin led his team with 14 points, but he's more of a catch-and-shoot player. Cousins Brody Hammond (a senior) and Caden Hammond (a junior) both had 11 points. Martin is the only Mustang averaging in double figures. Sophomore guard Marcus Murray is probably the best talent on the team but is somewhat busy running the offense for the first time.

· TAs Wood said, a Gary Rath-coached team will always challenge your weaknesses and make you defend the whole court and opens up good shots for a good number of guards that can hit them. This night, though, a good shooting team missed more than half its free throws, going 9-20. If they straighten that out Sunrise Mountain can win a 5A play-in game and maybe a playoff game.

THEY SAID IT

Liberty coach Mark Wood: “He actually called me today and said, ‘Coach, what do you need from me?’ I asked what he thought I needed from him. He said, “Rebounding, and I’m going to give you my best effort,’” Wood said. “I asked him to go make plays, and I think he did tonight.”

“We have not had a problem (with zones). But it threw us off enough and made is sputter,” Wood said. “Gary does a great job and he put his team in a position to win, with isolations and adjusting to the way the game was getting called. He made some great adjustments.”

“I think we play hard, and we’re getting smarter to go along with that. We kind of show our inexperience in moments, like tonight,” Wood said. “We’ve got to get stronger with the ball, value the ball more and concentrate.”

Sunrise Mountain coach Gary Rath: “Brody came in and gave us a huge lift in the first half and the second half. He played phenomenal,” Rath said. “And then JJ made some shots late. He’s been struggling a bit so I’m glad to see him hit some shots.”

“We have to get better at our free throws,” Rath said. “It just kills us. We do so much hard work and we don’t get anything out of it. And then we had a couple bad block outs. They’re active, man.”

“I thought we played hard and for the most part we played smart. We gave ourselves a chance,” Rath said.

Liberty junior guard Stephan Miller: “I was definitely nervous. When I started the game I had to calm my breathing,” Miller said. “It was good watching a little bit and then coming in. It helped me settle down.”

“No one had played in a high level varsity game ever, except for maybe two or three people,” Miller said. “We always practice setting up these high level game situations. Every tournament we go to, our coach makes sure we play the best teams.”