BEDFORD Region play is all about weathering the storm.

And for Western Albemarle, the furious tempest came in the form of Shantel Crowder and her Liberty teammates.

We made enough free throws, Western Albemarle coach Kris Wright said.

That may sound like a simple recap, but the Warriors clinched a 49-39 victory at the free-throw line, ending Libertys season in the Region 3A West play-in game here on Monday night.

Liberty (18-6) nearly erased an 18-point deficit. The Minettes trailed 40-22 heading into the fourth quarter. The play-in game looked like itd be a blowout.

But Crowder, banking shots off the glass, brought Liberty roaring back. The Minettes, suddenly playing with a sense of urgency, put together a 17-1 run that culminated with reserve Jessi Bollingers layup with 1:30 remaining.

Something just told us that we had to get it together and come back, said Crowder, who led Liberty with 14 points.

Liberty trailed 43-39 in the final minute and had a chance to cut the deficit to a single possession, when Jerica Thompson (two points) began battling for a loose ball. Whistles cut through the air. One official called a jump ball. Another official overruled that and called a foul on Thompson, giving WA two free throws.

Liberty coach Emilee Dunton was furious over the call and was called for a technical foul. WA hit three of four foul shots to expand the lead to 46-39 with 37 seconds remaining.

One guy ran all the way in with a jump ball and hes the head official of the officials crew and the other guy jumps in and overrides it, Dunton said after the game, pointing out that the possession arrow favored Liberty at the time of Thompsons foul. Yeah, Im gonna jump your bones because weve just fought all the way back, were under our hoop and its life or death in that situation.

Once again, as a young coach I shouldnt have lost my cool, but I feel like it wasnt the right call.

Dunton also emphasized that had the Minettes made their free throws, the result of Mondays game could have been different. Liberty was 7 of 14 from the line on the night. Western Albemarle was 16 of 27.

We make our free throws or we dont turn the ball, then were not in that situation. But Im proud of how the girls fought back and hats off to Western Albemarle, Dunton added. They were able to withstand the run and thats what I told the girls in the locker room is its going to be a game of runs.

Western Albemarle (18-8) received 19 points from Eleri Hayden and 13 from Elizabeth Coffman. Hayden, who capped a splendid night with 11 rebounds and three steals, also knocked down the first set of free throws with 37 seconds left to give the Warriors a 45-39 lead.

I just think a lot of us got hot and started hitting our shots, Hayden said. We had a comfortable lead in the first half and ended up pulling it out.

The score was tied 6-6 at the end of the first quarter. But WA outscored the Minettes 16-5 in the second quarter to take a 22-11 lead at halftime. After being down by 18 points, Liberty outscored the Warriors 17-9 in the final frame.

It was a quarter in which Western Albemarle managed just one field goal, but also rattled home seven of 13 free throws, none bigger than the ones in the final minute by Hayden and Annie Meenan (seven points) that gave the Warriors some breathing room.

They beat us here in the season opener and it was tied with four minutes to go, Wright said. So weve been in this scenario before against each other. So we just tried to hang in there. I might have gotten real nervous had it gotten to be a one possession game but we managed to stay away from that.

For Crowder, a sophomore, the season was a success. Liberty has several underclassmen, like Celeste St. John (seven points), who will return next season.

Once we start getting that chemistry, Crowder said, theres gonna be no stopping us.

Continue reading here:

Liberty nearly erases 18-point deficit but falls to Western Albemarle ... - Lynchburg News and Advance