MONTICELLO –– If you’ve lived in this community for more than 20 years you’ll know the rivalry between these two teams spans decades and the meeting between Liberty and Monticello is always a highly anticipated one. 

The first quarter of this matchup would see the Redhawks hold a very close one-point lead over the Panthers. They [the Redhawks] were up 12-11 at the end of the first quarter. 

Liberty Redhawks center, Joseph Dibartolo was seamless down low and on the defensive end scoring 11 points on offense and blocking multiple shots on defense. Dibartolo was one of three Redhawks to end the night in double digits including Adrien Ferguson with 14 and Zach Alvord with 21 to lead Redhawks scoring. Monticello continued to push back and bring the pressure. 

The Panthers went into the half holding a slim one-point lead over the visiting team. The Redhawks began to write a different story after the half, sinking two back-to-back 3-pointers and drawing contact on the drive to get to the foul line. With a quick turnaround, the Redhawks led by nine heading into the final quarter. 

A controversial out-of-bounds call put a damper on a 3-pointer by Monticello’s Quenten Liciaga. It would have put the Panthers within striking distance but the official ruled that the ball hit one of the support cables on the way down and deemed the shot no good. In the end, the Redhawks secured a 57-48 win over the Monties. 

Liciaga of Monticello led all scorers in the game with 26. Jayden Berrios-Cuevas had nine and teammate Andre Hill scored seven. Be sure to check Friday’s sports section for more BCANY vs Cancer Classic game highlights.