Most coaches just want to see simple things out of their teams and Liberty’s George Sinnott is no different.
His wish list for his Lions:
• Guards that protect the ball
• Big men that commit to rebounding
• Players running the floor, executing and dictating the pace of the game.
When Sinnot gets all those things from his Lions, the game is turned up to a hyperspeed and like Tuesday against Manchester Valley, things can get ugly — and fast.
“We’re really big on pace of play,” Sinnott said. “We came in tonight wanting to apply pressure and we did just that.”
They say pressure burst pipes and the Lions’ pressure defense burst any chances of a productive offensive day for the Mavericks as Liberty defeated Manchester Valley, 68-26.
“We’ve got guys still learning and embracing their roles,” Sinnott said. “I liked what I saw from a lot of guys tonight.”
Sinnott saw a little bit of everything from everyone Tuesday and it all began on the defensive end as the Lions quickly used smothering pressure to challenge the Mavericks and push the game to an uncomfortable pace.
After opening the game on a 12-5 run, the Lions then held the Mavericks scoreless for six minutes stretching into the second quarter as the lead ballooned to 19 at the half. Many of the Lions points came off Maverick turnovers that led to easy baskets.
“We want to put pressure on the other team and force them to make mistakes so we can capitalize,” Brady Bergen said. “We just want to up the intensity so we can get out and score.”
Sinnott wants intensity and energy, and Bergen was the perfect person for him to deploy Tuesday. He brought contagious energy off the bench to a Liberty team desperate to cause more turnovers. Berger then took his talents to the offensive end, scoring 19 points in what was an impressive display of shooting.
“For Brady, it’s his energy. We need his energy every night,” Sinnott said. “He has really improved his shot in the offseason. As our sixth man, he can come on the court and guard anyone, anywhere if needed.”
“Once I saw the shot was falling, I kept shooting.” Bergen said. “I could have done better in other areas, but I feel like I played solid.”
One by one, Sinnott relied on everyone as the Lions pounced, leading by as many as 42 at one point. With Bergen leading the way and the Lions having the “execute” part down pact, the Lions hit the boards with everyone including big man Ethan Hart, every rebound board extending an offensive possession or putting an emphatic end to a hard-fought defensive stretch. With Hart down low getting some help from Tristian West, the Lions firmly took control and never looked back.
“I brought the energy well today,” Hart, who finished with 11 points, said. “I’m the anchor for our help side defense. Every shot I don’t just try to contest, I try to block it.”
While Sinnott humbly refused to acknowledge the blowout as some sort of statement, what the dominant effort did was get the Lions their first country win of the season as they look to build of a dominant display.
Players were ecstatic after the win as they saw Tuesday as a glimpse into what this team could look like when everyone’s bought in and firing on all cylinders.
“We have the skills, we have the size and we have the talent,” Hart said. “When we’re playing at our best as hard as we can with energy, there’s no one we can’t beat.”
Liberty 68, Manchester Valley 26
L- Brady Bergen (19), Ethan Hart (11), Gavin Speace (10), Jayden Zumbrun (9), Tristan West (8), Noah Gitau (5), Sean Case (4), Nate Gitau (2)
MV- Michael Hoy (6), Gabe Howard (6), Colton Enderle (4), Owen Caine (3), Mason Sigai (3), Trevor Hottenstein (3), Cooper Olshefski (1)
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