Nazareth senior scores 24 points to lead Blue Eagles to key LVC victory.

FROM KEITH GROLLER

As she went to the rim in the first half without getting the whistles she wanted, Erika Livermore grew frustrated.

Nazareth's coaches challenged her at halftime to take the ball harder to the basket. They prodded her to make it impossible for the officials not to call Liberty's defenders for contact in the paint.

Livermore did as she was asked, lifting her team in the process.

She took just two official field-goal attempts in the second half but went to the foul line 14 times, connecting on 12 free throws. She finished with a game-high 24 points as the Blue Eagles pulled away for a 53-39 Lehigh Valley Conference girls basketball win Friday night.

Intent on returning to the LVC playoffs, Nazareth (11-3 overall, 7-2 LVC) stayed a game behind Northampton and Parkland in the LVC North Division with five league games left. Two of those three teams figure to qualify for the four-team league tournament.

Livermore scored 16 of her 24 points in the second half Friday as the Blue Eagles rebounded from Tuesday's one-point loss to Central Catholic. She also finished with 10 rebounds, three blocked shots and three steals. Her nine points in the final quarter helped the Blue Eagles outscore the Hurricanes (8-6, 4-4) 18-6 over the last eight minutes after they started the quarter ahead by just two points.

"They played a really great game," Livermore said. "Liberty's never a pushover. They lost five really great seniors from last year, but everyone's good. We didn't come out with a very good mentality at first. We were running through things, but not as hard as we should. In the second half, I think we really pulled it together."

Livermore's touch at the foul line proved critical. She hit 16 of 19 free throws, making eight straight in one stretch and her final five of the night, as the Blue Eagles outscored the Hurricanes by 12 points from the foul line.

"She works on her foul shots," Nazareth coach Rich Bickert said. "[Assistant] coach Ed [Smith] shoots 100 with her every night after practice. He doesn't let her leave till she shoots 100. It's good to see that that work paid off."

Kim Owens and Caitlyn Gary, who join Livermore as senior starters, also came up with clutch shots as the more experienced Blue Eagles put Liberty away. Owens scored eight of her 13 points in the second half on 4-for-5 shooting. Gary added eight points, including a 3-pointer that gave Nazareth a 44-37 lead with 2:42 to go, nine rebounds and three assists.

The Hurricanes pushed Nazareth all night, but several prolonged scoring slumps doomed them. Liberty managed just four points in the game's final 7:39 after tying the game at 35. The Hurricanes also went 5 minutes, 13 seconds without scoring to start the game and opened the second quarter with a 4-minute, 14-second dry spell.

Jody Chickey led Liberty with 13 points and also collected six steals. J.J. Hilliard added 10 points and C.J. Hilliard scored seven as Liberty failed to pick up a win that would have boosted its chances of winning a tight three-team race with Easton and Bethlehem Catholic in the LVC East Division.

"We took some risks, and they hit the shots they needed to win the game," Liberty coach Amy Yencho said.

Nazareth has adopted a must-win stance for the rest of its league games as it tries to return to the LVC tournament for a second straight year. The Blue Eagles face Easton and Parkland in league games next week before playing three LVC games (against Whitehall, Allen and Northampton) in the final week of the regular season.

"Our backs are against the wall, and so be it," Bickert said. "Parkland's beating teams by a couple points, but they're winning. That's all that matters. We've got a lot of games to play."