LIBERTY – In the course of a season there are apt to be some games that are extremely competitive, especially when teams are evenly matched. In those encounters one often bears witness to frequent lead changes wherein the games are riveting as each trip up the floor matters. A play here, a key turnover or a team’s precision or the lack thereof at the free throw line can determine the outcome. Where traditional rivalries between schools exist, the emotional tenor of the game is even more intense. 

Sadly though, those type of games have become rarer. Talking to coaches, officials and onlookers who have watched games over the years, the nearly unanimous consensus is that the quality of play has diminished greatly. Certainly, the Covid-19 pandemic is partly to blame. After all, there was no basketball for a year followed by an abbreviated season wherein all in attendance including the players had to wear masks. 

Then there is the all-too-great distraction of phones and social media. Kids today spend an inordinate amount of time on their phones, time that might be otherwise spent working on their sports skills. 

Gone are the days when kids played basketball after school or in the summer. Nowadays, teams are often populated by kids who only play during the season. Finally, the influence of the NBA style of play has obscured the importance of fundamentals that has been replaced by showmanship. The overuse of the three-point shot is a prime example of this. 

In short, a visit to a high school game does not necessarily afford one the same type of basketball one would have seen in prior years. 

This past week, the Sullivan West Lady Bulldogs visited the Liberty Lady Indians in what turned out to be a huge mismatch. Liberty was only able to garner a total of 17 points in the encounter, while Sullivan West deployed its effective, intense defense and rebounding skills to not only hamper Liberty, but to profit from put backs off misses. 

The Lady Westies got out to a 23-9 lead by the end of the first quarter. Liberty scored only two points in the second stanza while SW added another 11 to marshal a 34-11 lead at the break. When each team scored only four points apiece in the third quarter, the interest level of the fans reached a new nadir. 

Sullivan West closed out the game with 17-2 fourth quarter to walk away with the 55-17 victory. 

If there is one positive aspect to games like this aside from adding a win to a team’s plus side of the ledger, it is that every player on the bench gets into the flow, something which is not the case in very tight games wherein coaches use a much narrower rotation. 

Sullivan West improved to 6-1. They are just one league win shy of a sectional berth, something they hope to garner in a looming home game vs. S.S. Seward. Liberty fell to 3-6. 

SW’s senior center Lanie Herbert led all scorers with 18 points. Felicity Bauerfeind posted 15. Violla Shami and Karlee Diehl each scored eight. Sullivan West was 6-for-11 at the stripe (55%). Liberty got nine points from Angelina Rodriguez.