Charged-up Nazareth storms past Hurricanes, 62-53

FROM KEITH GROLLER

At the conclusion of a pregame ceremony Friday night at Nazareth, Allison Rothrock, wife of the late Todd Rothrock and mother of current Blue Eagles player Matt Rothrock, wished both Liberty and Nazareth good luck and encouraged them to go out and make a new memory.

What followed was, indeed, a memorable game that Allison's husband -- the Nazareth grad and former Liberty coach -- would have loved.

Perhaps the Blue Eagles will remember it more fondly since they used a big second half to overcome a six-point halftime deficit and pull away to a 62-53 Lehigh Valley Conference win over the third-ranked team in the state.

Chuck Dibilio and Bryce Higgs combined for 40 points -- 15 of Higgs' 19 coming in the second half -- as an inspired, intense Nazareth team snapped Liberty's 11-game win streak.

The Blue Eagles held the Hurricanes to eight points in the third quarter and then outscored Liberty 9-2 over the final 1:38 to secure the program's biggest win since winning the LVC title a year ago.

A large crowd, on hand not only for a girl-boy doubleheader, but also to honor the memory of Rothrock and Nazareth basketball player Derek Kehoe, created a playoff-style atmosphere and the Blue Eagles looked a lot like the team that won six straight en route to their first LVC crown last season.

"This was a great atmosphere. … emotional a little bit … especially with Matt Rothrock on this team," Nazareth coach Joe Arndt said. "The guys wanted to get the win for Matty. They just stepped up and we got great efforts from a lot of kids, especially Higgs and Branden Kline inside."

Arndt said that Nazareth wasn't physical enough in a disappointing 62-56 loss to Central Catholic on Tuesday night

"We got beat up by Central and just weren't tough enough, but tonight we were much stronger," he said. "We rebounded the basketball and made our foul shots."

Nazareth (12-2, 6-2) was 20-for-25 at the line overall and 11-for-14 in the fourth quarter when the Blue Eagles went toe-to-toe with Liberty.

Darrun Hilliard, the Hurricanes' senior star, scored just seven points through the first three periods, but tried to take over the game in the fourth.

He made two 3-pointers within the first 80 seconds of the closing quarter, and scored 14 points overall in the final stanza. His second trey gave Liberty a brief 46-45 lead early in the fourth, but the 'Canes couldn't sustain it.

"Our defense revolved around Hilliard; we just tried to contain him the best we can," Higgs said. "As long as you can keep him to around 18, you have a chance to win."

Higgs, a 6-foot-6 senior forward, actually outscored Hilliard, 19-18.

"We really needed this game," Higgs said. "As for me, I just take what's there and try to get my points in the flow of the game. The big key was our rebounding and intensity. We're a transition team and we need to get the ball up the court. We need to keep the energy up."

Liberty also played with a lot of energy, but just couldn't stay in synch.

The Hurricanes had seven turnovers in the first quarter and seven more when things got away from them in the third quarter.

"That's the way basketball goes," Liberty coach Chad Landis said. "Give Nazareth credit because they outplayed us inside and got some key second-chance points. Normally we do a good job inside and control the glass, but tonight they worked a little harder than us.

"They won the transition game and they won around the glass and that's two big battles to win."

Izel Dickerson and Alex Akabogu, who had three 3-pointers in the first quarter, finished with 11 points apiece. The Hurricanes had eight 3-pointers overall, but lacked the offensive crispness that they have had during their win stretch.

Liberty will have to rebound quickly since it plays Pocono Mountain West in the Hoop Group Lehigh Valley Showcase Sunday night at Parkland.

"Every coach wants to run the table and go undefeated, but a loss isn't the worst thing in the world," Landis said. "If the kids and the coaches rebound, and you go back to the drawing board and learn from your mistakes, a loss can be a good thing."