PITTSBURG — Liberty came to Pittsburg on Tuesday night looking like a team that had done this before – build a lead, take a punch and still walk out with a victory.
The Lions jumped out to a 17-point halftime lead before Pittsburg made things uncomfortable late, slicing their advantage to just seven in the fourth quarter.
But the Pirates never could get over the hump, undone by missed free throws and a string of turnovers that kept turning momentum into empty possessions.
Behind steady guard play from stars Jaiden Miller and Dante Vigil, Liberty closed out a 62-52 road win and extended its grip on the Bay Valley Athletic League with its 48th straight league victory dating to 2021.
“I feel like a win like this gets us going in the right direction,” Miller said. “Coach has really been prioritizing our defense, it’s something we practice all the time. We’re making the right reads right now.”
Miller finished with a game-high 33 points to go along with three rebounds, three assists and three steals. Vigil had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Seniors Terrance Wiley and Khalil Bernard each had 13 points for Pittsburg. Brynden Hunte finished with a double-double with 10 points and 17 rebounds.
A monster first half from Miller saw the junior score 22 of his points through the first two quarters to build a 39-22 lead for Liberty at the half.
A strong third quarter from Pittsburg brought the Pirates right back into the game. Pittsburg outscored Liberty 19-12 to trail by just 10 going into the final period.
But free throws and turnovers became the home team’s downfall.
Pittsburg finished the game shooting 18-of-36 from the free throw line while committing 16 turnovers.
“Whether we were up by 30 or down by 30, we had to do the little things,” Pittsburg coach Jared Martin said. “You have to make your free throws. You have to make the chip shot layups. You have to box out. Those are winning plays, and tonight showed we have to get better at stringing together winning plays.”
Pittsburg got within seven after hitting one of two free throws at the line with under two minutes left. But a driving Miller layup on the next possession all but sealed the deal for the Brentwood school.
After dropping the first two games of the season, Liberty has now won 22 of its last 23 games. The Lions are still in the mix for a North Coast Section Open Division spot with five days until the NCS playoff seeding meeting determines their postseason division placement.
While he was happy with the win, Liberty coach Rich Morton is hoping his team can take its play to another level.
“Pittsburg is a good team, but we have the potential to play sloppy at times,” Morton said. “It’s just so difficult right now. It’s been a long season, I think guys are just wearing down and getting tired. … We just got to practice hard. We got to stay on the guys. That’s the only thing we can do right now.”
No. 7 The King’s Academy 71, Pinewood 47
Hezekiah Sires scored a game-high 19 points, Claxton Ladine had 18 and Xavier Barnett added 12 as TKA added another West Bay Athletic League win to its resume. Sophomore star Boss Mhoon made his return to the court after missing the Knights’ last 10 games with a fractured ankle and scored two points. Christian Arcangel led Pinewood (15-5, 4-3) with nine points. TKA improved to 18-3, 7-0.
No. 9 Bellarmine 61, Serra 56
JJ Barton scored 13 points, Sofian Stringfellow added 12 and Will Corbett chipped in 11 as Bellarmine (16-6, 6-4) defeated Serra to capture a West Catholic Athletic League victory. Serra (11-10, 3-8) got 14 points from Wyatt Vonblanco.
No. 16 Milpitas 79, Monta Vista 50
The Trojans locked up at least a share of the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division title with a dominant win over Monta Vista. Dylan Nguyen scored a game-high 22 points, Pranavram Krishnan added 16 and Jesiah Caampued chipped in 11 for Milpitas, which improved to 21-1, 10-0. Ryan Shen had 10 points for Monta Vista, which dropped to 14-7, 4-6.
Gunn 84, Saratoga 79
Gunn’s high-powered offense prevailed as the Titans defeated Saratoga on the road in a SCVAL El Camino Division matchup. Isaac Romero led Gunn (14-9, 9-3) with 28 points. Saratoga (14-8, 9-3) got a game-high 30 points from Anson Hulme.
Leland 64, Live Oak 46
Cyrus Zhao scored 14 points and Steven Watson and Eric-John Wong each had 13 as Leland blew out Live Oak in a Blossom Valley Athletic League Santa Teresa South Division matchup. Live Oak (16-7, 6-3) got 13 points from Nathan Lozano and 10 from Sam Ellingson. Leland improved to 15-8, 8-1.
Valley Christian 66, Sacred Heart Cathedral 63
Valley Christian survived a late SHC comeback to notch a WCAL win. The Fightin’ Irish trailed by 12 at halftime, but the San Jose school did just enough to squeak out a win. Bryant Clark led the Warriors with 21 points, Evan Lee added 13 and Teniola Bamisebi chipped in 11. Cory Wong had a team-high 16 points and Trey Carey scored 13 for SHC (8-12, 1-9). Valley Christian improved to 12-9, 4-7.
Westmont 49, Evergreen Valley 46
Senior Gabe Mathiesen had a monster game, scoring 29 points to lead Westmont to a Blossom Valley Athletic League Mt. Hamilton Division win. Ananth Kothapalli had 16 points and Donovan Truong added 13 for Evergreen Valley (13-7, 5-5). Westmont improved to 19-2, 8-2 and remained a half-game behind first-place Willow Glen, which beat Christopher 55-49 on Tuesday.
Girls basketball
No. 1 Archbishop Mitty 74, No. 6 Archbishop Riordan 37
McKenna Woliczko scored a game-high 26 points to lead Mitty to another dominant WCAL victory on the road. Emma Cook and Ze’ni Patterson each had 10 points for Mitty, which improved to 20-2, 8-0. Junior Tallyah Nasol had nine points for Riordan (12-7, 4-3).
No. 7 St. Ignatius 50, No. 5 St. Francis 45
The Wildcats notched a major WCAL win, beating St. Francis behind 12 points and eight rebounds from senior Hayley McGee. Julia Alcantara added nine points and Lulu Giometti and Sophia Sanchez each had seven for St. Ignatius (17-5, 6-3). Paige Spencer scored a game-high 14 points and Grace Curley added 13 for St. Francis, which dropped to 18-5, 5-4.
No. 10 Piedmont 60, Alameda 45
Andrea Martin scored 27 points and grabbed 13 rebounds as Piedmont (18-3, 5-0) cruised to a West Alameda County Conference Foothill Division win over Alameda (16-9, 3-4). Piedmont’s Taylor White had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Capuchino 33, Sequoia 24
The Mustangs won a low-scoring contest to lock up the Peninsula Athletic League Ocean Division title. Senior Kaitlyn Staff led Capuchino (18-2, 11-0) with 10 points and sophomore Lorelai Shinn had eight. Sequoia dropped to 11-11, 5-6.