Timing is everything in sports, and for Century’s Nate Brown, a marquee matchup against an archrival provided the perfect moment to reset.
After a couple of recent performances that Brown admitted did not meet his standards, the senior delivered a statement game Friday night, dropping in a season-high 30 points to lead Century to a 64-46 win over Liberty.
“I haven’t been playing my best,” Brown said. “It feels amazing to come out and play well in this game, especially against this team, and get the win.”
Century defended its home court from the opening tip, bouncing back from a tough loss to Manchester Valley earlier in the week.
“I thought we all played well,” Century coach George Wunder said. “We had a tough one the other night that didn’t go our way. I told them this Liberty team is good and really well-coached, so we’d be right back in another tough one and needed to be ready.”
Brown wasted little time answering that challenge. After trading early 3-pointers with Liberty’s Gavin Speace, Brown stayed aggressive and found his rhythm from deep, staking the Knights to an early lead.
“My teammates were doing a great job finding me,” Brown said. “It was a total team effort, not just me.”
Brown drilled six 3-pointers in the first half and already had 24 points at the break, matching Liberty’s entire team total as he played with confidence throughout.
“When I’m aggressive early, the confidence changes,” Brown said. “The team chemistry improves, and we get on a roll.”
The performance marked a sharp contrast from Tuesday’s game, when foul trouble disrupted Brown’s rhythm. This time, once his first shot dropped, Brown kept his foot on the gas, repeatedly breaking down the Liberty defense and getting quality looks from all over the floor.
Every time Speace, who finished with 21 points, sparked a Lions run, Century answered by moving the ball and finding the open man, who was often Brown.
“He’s one of the best players in the county, there’s no doubt about that,” Wunder said. “He was confident. He was scoring inside and outside, and that makes him tough to guard.”
While Brown led the way early, the return of Evan Williams from an ankle injury provided an added boost as the Knights pulled away in the second half.
“He always makes a difference. It’s great to have him back,” Wunder said. “He’s a bigger guard, which helps us on defense. He shoots the ball well, he can get to the basket and finish, and he does so many little things for us.”
Brown scored just six points after halftime, but it was all the Knights needed from him as Williams took over, netting all 16 of his points in the second half to help put the game away and snap Liberty’s five-game winning streak.
“All the pieces came together,” Williams said. “I just came out and played hard. My teammates found me, and the shots went in.”
Braden Davis battled inside throughout the night, while Brayden Zmarzly (11 points) hit a pair of timely buckets to help Century seal the win.
In what has become a more balanced county race than in recent memory, every victory is crucial. The Knights improved to 9-2 at the midway point of the season, with 11 games remaining — including a rematch with Westminster on Tuesday.
Century previously earned a 50-45 road win against Westminster and will once again be tasked with protecting home court as the stakes continue to rise.
“You can’t go into any county game this year expecting to win,” Wunder said. “There are a lot of well-coached teams playing good basketball. We just have to take things one game at a time.”
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