Liberty Union pulls away from Bloom-Carroll in 2nd half

BALTIMORE — Liberty Union jumped out to an 8-1 lead against visiting Bloom-Carroll on Saturday night, and the Bulldogs struggled the rest of the way.

The Lions led by nine at halftime and steadily pulled away for a 54-32 Mid-State League-Buckeye Division win.

"We just wanted to put our kids in a position to be successful and I think we did that," Liberty Union coach Adam Twiss said. "I think our pressure got to them a little bit and created some things, and more than anything, we have a 11 kids that are playing really hard."

Five different players — Marissa Mattox, Sidney Paxton, Emily Hanson, Landen Collins and Katie Roth — scored in the first quarter as Liberty Union (2-1, 1-0) took a 17-8 lead.

Being behind early had the Bulldogs on their heels the rest of the game.

"They shot it well early and we were disappointed because we didn't guard very well," Bloom-Carroll coach Chad Little said. "It was frustrating because we are limited, offensively, and we don't have a bunch of kids that can score.

"As much as we would like to play fast and score a bunch of points, we can't do that. We have to get stops. When you are down and playing from behind all the time that is not a strength for us. Once we get down, it's a struggle the rest of the way."

The Bulldogs did show some life early in the second quarter when Alexis Burchfield scored four consecutive points to cut the deficit to 17-12. After the Lions hit a 3-pointer, Abby Shirkey scored inside to cut it to 20-14 with 4:10 left in the first half.

However, the Lions scored the final five points of the half to take a 25-14 lead.

The Lions' Landen Collins took over in the third quarter, scoring five points and dishing out four assists. Her 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter helped the Lions take a 41-24 lead into the fourth quarter.

Collins, who had to sit out the second quarter because of foul trouble, finished with 10 points, seven assists and four rebounds.

"It was her best game, as far as not forcing things and just letting the game come to her and finding the next pass when they collapsed on her," Twiss said. "She put everything all together tonight. We did a great job of making the extra pass and we shared the ball well."

Burchfield led Bloom-Carroll (0-2, 0-1) with 13 points and eight rebounds. The Bulldogs made only 11-of-37 from the field and committed 19 turnovers.

Sidney Paxton led Liberty Union with 13 points.

twilson@lancastereaglegazette.com

740-681-4358

Twitter: @twil2323

Stat Book

Bloom-Carroll 8-6-10-8 — 32

Liberty Union 17-8-16-13 — 54

Bloom-Carroll: 11-37 FG, 6-9 FT,4 3pt. (Burchfield 2, Ireland, Vollmer) 29 rebounds (Burchfield 8), 19 turnovers, 4 Assists (Thompson 2). Scoring: Ireland 3, Shirkey 6, Vollmer 3, Burchfield 13, Thompson 2, Wyant 2, Davis 3.

Liberty Union: 20-46 FG, 7-17 FT, 7 3pt. (Collins 2, Paxton 2, Mattox, Rogers, Aneshansley) 31 rebounds (Collins 4), 9 turnovers, 12 Assists (Collins 7). Scoring: Hanson 6, Mattox 4, Collins 10, Roth 6, Hite 1, Paxton 13, Mangette 4, Rogers 3, Aneshansley 7.