When Colin Toms was a junior, he sat in disbelief after a timeout as his Gerstell Falcons quickly found themselves down 12-0 to Liberty.
Almost a year to the day, but this time at home, the Falcons were down 12-2 to the Lions.
“It definitely reminded me of last year,” Toms said. “We dug a hole and it was up to us to man up, respond and comeback.”
A key role player last year, this year’s Gerstell team runs through Toms. In his bigger role, the big man stepped up.
Gerstell dug itself out of the early hole, completing the comeback and defeating Liberty, 53-50, Wednesday night behind 21 points and 12 rebounds from Toms.
“I’m proud of the way our guys responded,” Gerstell coach Jeff Cheevers said. “We got down early and then closed the gap. We just kept battling.”
Down as many as 18, a huge reason the Falcons showed fight and came back was because Cheevers demanded it from his players.
“He gets us going,” Toms said, recalling the time Cheevers kicked an eraser during a halftime speech in an attempt to fire up his squad. “Sometimes he wants it more than us.”
Cheevers didn’t mince his words, and one by one, he called out everyone starting with his two seniors, Toms and Ben Martin, as he challenged the pair to show some leadership. He then begged Charlie Crawford and others to crash the boards and stop allowing the Lions to get every rebound and loose ball.
He even warned Grant Ray that time on the court isn’t a given and shouldn’t be taken for granted. “You have to come ready to play,” he shouted.
The Lions jumped out to the early lead thanks to some tough baskets down low from Tristan West and Nathan Gitav, as well as Jayden Zuburn hitting from the outside. However, Gerstell responded, cutting the lead down to four by halftime.
“Liberty played hard and we knew it was going to be like that going in,” Cheevers said. “They’re extremely well-coached.”
The Lions came into Wednesday’s game on a shortlist of teams built to matchup with the 6-foot, 8-inch Toms, countering with the duo of 6-4 West and 6-8 Ethan Hart. With all three banging and fighting for possession down low, Toms embraced the fiery competition.
“I love it,” Toms said. “Every time I see they have a big I can match up with on the other side, it excites me. I never back down from it.”
With Toms leading the way, the Falcons took their first lead with two minutes left in the third after a massive Toms dunk that brought life back into the arena for Falcons fans.
Needing to keep the pressure on as a potential blowout turned into a back-and-forth slugfest, Cheevers once again pleaded with his players, looking for someone else to step up and provide some fight.
His prayers were answered the second Victor Gray locked in.
The freshman finished with only seven points, but it was his defense that provided the spark the Falcons were looking for.
“He’s going to be a great one,” Cheevers said. “It was his defensive intensity that really sparked everyone. He’s going to be a dynamic player and I’m so proud of him.”
Gray’s pesky defense was the key to stopping a Liberty offense that was lethal in transition , but nonexistent in the half court in critical moments as the Lions struggled to consistentlyexecute. That opened the door for the Falcons and they were able to slowly but surely walk the Lions down.
“We all knew that we wanted to work hard,” Gray said. “I didn’t have my best game offensively, but I knew my team depended on me in other ways and I had to step up and guard their best guy.”
With Liberty’s Gavin Speace heating up from behind the arc, scoring 11 second-half points, the Falcons adjusted and played stellar team defense down the stretch, holding the Lions to just one basket in the final two minutes of the game.
After a midrange jumper by Toms to take the late lead, followed by a key steal after some clutch help defense on the weak side by the senior, a Grant Ray dunk extended the lead to three and the Falcons bench exploded after the potential game-tying shot was missed at the buzzer, securing the second win over a Carroll County Public School with back-to-back victories over Liberty and Westminster.
“Playing a Carroll County public school is a big deal for us,” Cheevers said. “Any time we get the opportunity, we want to represent our school well and I thought we did that tonight.”
Gerstell 53, Liberty 50
G- Colin Toms (21), Emre Tari (9), Victor Gray (7) Grant Ray (5), Ben Martin (5) Charlie Crawford (3), Corey Graham (3)
L- Gavin Speace (13), Tristan West (12), Jayden Zubrum (10), Nathan Gitau (7), Brady Berger (5)
Ethan Hart (3)
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