Walking into the Staley High School Auditorium March 6, 2013, the bright colors of green and white prevailed for the looming sectional game between the Class 4 number 1 ranked St. Joe Lafayette Fighting Irish (24-4) and the Number 4 ranked Liberty North Eagles Men’s Basketball teams (22-5). It was easy to see that St. Joe Lafayette travels well, and North fans could feel the pressure of competition early on.
After the first quarter, Liberty North fans were well within their rights to begin to get a little on edge. St. Joe’s fan section pierced through North’s cheering early on, and midway through the second quarter, North trailed 17-11. Tough luck, poor execution, and in need of a momentum shift, the 4th seeded Eagles were in trouble. North’s Junior Forward Brinkley Jolly was dominate both offensively and defensively the entire night, and along with some crisp in the paint passes, the team went on a convincing 10-1 run going into halftime.
The momentum experienced in the latter part of the second quarter, continued into the third quarter as well. Before long, it looked as though the score could begin to get out of hand, and many of North’s fans began to feel pretty comfortable; some even beginning to talk about making it to the next round of the tournament. North’s student section began to feed off of their team’s increased intensity level. Though Lafayette hit a couple of deep threes to get right back into the game, North’s Senior Point Guard Jake Hanson responded with a string of threes of his own, to prevent the comeback from ever being fulfilled, and ultimately North held on for the 49-43 victory.
Liberty North may have had a slow start to Wednesday night’s Sectional Game against St. Joe Lafayette, though when it mattered most, the team was able to pull through. After defeating the number 1 team in the state, it is off to the Independence Event Center, Saturday at 1:00, squaring off against a talented Grandview Bulldogs team in the elite eight. The Eagle’s fan section made a difference in sectionals, and will be needed more than ever to get past Grandview.