Defenseless Defenders
Four Flames hit double-figures in scoring during 38-point win over Summit
For the second straight season, the Liberty Flames men’s basketball team improved to 2-0, after trouncing Division III opponent Summit Defenders, 90-52, Nov. 14.
Big Man — As the tallest player on the team, Evan Maxwell often finds himself battling in the paint. Photo credit: Leah Seavers
From opening tip, the Flames looked to get sophomore center Evan Maxwell involved. The 6-foot-10-inch big man beelined straight to the low block, as he had an evident height advantage (Summit’s tallest player is 6-foot-5-inches). The Flames fed Maxwell, who finished with a two-handed slam, giving the Flames the early 2-0 lead.
Liberty held fast to this strategy as Maxwell scored the first two field goals of the game. It was not until the 17:30 mark that another Flame made a field goal of his own. Less than three minutes into the game, the Defenders got on the board with a driving layup by senior Adam Brinkley. In the Flames next possession, freshman guard Lovell Cabbil — hero of the prior night’s game — knocked down a three ball, increasing the Flames lead to six.
Along with the early offensive production, the Flames stifled the Defenders, allowing only 10 points in the first 10 minutes of the game.
After the Flames forced a turnover, one of 23 committed by the Defenders on the night, Cabbil drove to the basket, drawing a foul while finishing a layup, earning three points the old fashioned way. After making his free throw, Liberty jumped to a 12-2 lead.
After sophomore guard A.C. Reid knocked down a midrange jumper, Cabbil came through with another big shot.
Freshman guard Hansel Atencia maneuvered his way through the Summit defense and dished the ball to an open Cabbil, who drained his second three-pointer of the night to make it 17-4 with 14:16 remaining in the first half.
The freshman’s three-ball sparked a devastating 15-6 run from the Flames over the next six minutes.
Maxwell, who finished with 14 points, continued to assert his dominance in the paint, getting continuous touches down low. His advantage caused Summit’s defense to converge on the sophomore, leading to open men along the perimeter.
“(Getting the ball to Maxwell) is our No. 1 option,” Cabbil said. “Once he gets going, the defense has to collapse on him. And that just leaves the court open for all the shooters we have.”
The Flames inside-out game, partnered with the driving of Atencia and redshirt senior Anthony Fields, led to Liberty shooting a blistering 63 percent (9-14) from behind the arc in the first half.
Of those nine first half three pointers, Cabbil was responsible for five, including one right before halftime. Going into the half, Liberty held a commanding 52-25 lead.
“The difference was we were more unselfish,” sophomore guard Ryan Kemrite said. “We were getting a lot of open shots because we were playing for each other.”
Kemrite, who scored a game-high 22 points, further praised his teammates on their second performance of the season.
“People were more settled in on offense,” Kemrite said. “We were getting in the paint … that was more of what we are going to be like as a team.”
10 seconds into the second half, Kemrite and the Flames picked up exactly where they left off in the first. Maxwell earned his second assist of the game after finding an open Kemrite for a quick three.
This set the tone for the remainder of the half, and ultimately the game. Liberty’s 27-point halftime lead eventually ballooned to a crushing 41 points. The undersized Summit team never cut the deficit, as the Flames held out for a dominating 90-52 victory.
“What I thought we were, most of all offensively, was balanced,” Flames Head Coach Ritchie McKay said. “We were making the extra pass, which has been characteristic of this group in practice, but certainly not last night.”
The Flames look to remain undefeated when they face off against the William & Mary Tribe, Tuesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Vines Center.
Haywood is the editor-in-chief.