In the first two quarters, whenever the Liberty Christian girls basketball team went a run, Covenant would follow with a string of points to even up the score. Although they made the most of their size, putting themselves just a few feet in front of the hoop for high percentage shots, the Bulldogs struggled mightily from the field, and as such, the scrappy Eagles were able to keep pace with LCA in the game’s first 16 minutes. However, the second half was a different story as Raven Jefferson paced the Bulldogs to a big second half to lead her team to a 49-33 victory.
“We just did a real good job of pressing (Covenant),” said Liberty coach Mike Morris. “And obviously we did a lot better job of shooting in the second half.”
After a tight first quarter, LCA went on a 10-1 run at the start of the second frame to jump out to a nine point lead. But the Eagles responded with a run of their own behind 12-2 run of their own behind the play of senior guard Gabby Mirabelli to take 1-point lead at the half.
In the third quarter, the Bulldogs found a way to bring the Covenant offense to a hault, as stuck closely to Mirabelli and also effectively ran their full court press.
“As the game progressed the offense was going entirely through (Mirabelli),” Morris said. “We didn’t go box-and-one, we stuck with straight up man defense, but we told the players to focus on her very closely.”
To make matters worse for Covenant, LCA finally found their shot, and when the third period finished, the Eagle’s one point lead was gone and the team instead faced an 11-point deficit.
“We knew that they were going to come out strong in that second half,” said Covenant coach Mike Thornton. “But we didn’t handle to the pressure very well. We’ll get better at that. This was our first game where we got any kind of pressure. It’s something that takes a bit to get used to.”
Jefferson, just a freshman was a big part of the equation for Libery (2-1) as the 5-foot 7-inch guard was all over the court, scoring 12 points, hauling in six rebounds and forcing seven turnovers on defense.
“Her speed causes a lot of problems for teams,” Morris said. “Her first step is unbelievable, so if you give her just an arm’s length she’ll wind up eating you alive. You’ve got to give her a couple which is nice becuase she can shoot.”
Joining in on the action was fellow freshman guard Claire Thompson, who also scored 12 points and had six assists.
In the fourth quarter the Eagles were able to get within nine points, but never any closer, and their attempts to foul their way back into the game were put to rest when Thompson hit three of her four three throws down the stretch.
For Covenant, Mirabelli finished with a game 16 points. Kelly Crispens was the next highest scorer for Covenant with six points, including the team’s only 3-pointer.
As the Eagles move forward, they hope that some of their younger talent, particularly in the front court — their roster boasts three freshman and two sophomores — can help pick up some of the work load so that Mirabelli isn’t bearing the burden alone.
“We just have to have to get stronger with the ball and learn how to handle it properly,” Thornton said. “We just have to learn how to hold on the ball — but LCA did a great job there, so that’s to their credit.”
Covenant (2-1) will travel to Steward on Thursday at 5 p.m.
