PITTSBURG — Tuesday’s Bay Valley Athletic League matchup between Liberty and Pittsburg played out like a scene from the “Rocky” series.
Just when the Lions thought they gave the Pirates their best combination, Pittsburg hit them with a uppercut to the liver to get right back into the fight. Just when the Pirates thought they had Liberty on the ropes, it was the Lions who landed a haymaker to sway the momentum.
But in the end, it was Liberty who came out with its hand raised as the Lions won 62-58 to clinch its third straight BVAL league title.
Junior Andrew Vixon led the way for the Lions, scoring 20 points. Gavin Cook Whisenton added 17 points.
Pittsburg, who stormed back from a 14-point deficit in the fourth quarter, were led by Jeremiah Collins who scored 18 points.
“I’m just proud of my guys,” said Liberty coach Jon Heinz.
“We could have laid down. The crowd was against us and things weren’t going our way. We’ve been in some really tough battles with some really good teams, so it was nice to have the composure to win at the end. That’s three years in a row now as league champs.”
Liberty’s Gavin Cook Whisenton (1) dribbles past Pittsburg’s Tyberius Campos-Reece (23) during a basketball league game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
After going into halftime up 21-19, Liberty dominated the third quarter. Sophomore guard Dante Vigil laid in a transition bucket to make the score 39-27 with 1:37 left in the third, their biggest lead up to that point
Heinz opted to bring more bodies off the bench and pressured the Pirates with a halfcourt trap.
“We kind of went with the hot hand,” Heinz said. “We try to play 10 or 11 guys and I think that helped in the pressure situations.”
Going into the final quarter, the Lions held a comfortable 14-point lead.
Or so they thought.
Slowly, but surely Pittsburg climbed back into the game. A couple made free throws here, a few made layups there and the Pirates were within nine points with just over three minutes left.
Pittsburg’s Kayshaun Hunte (1) lays up a shot against Liberty High during a basketball league game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Still, there was a sense in the Pittsburg High gym that Liberty was going to win the game easily. As long as the Lions didn’t turn the ball over and made a few more shots down the stretch, Liberty could put the Pirates away for good.
But Pittsburg refused to go down without a fight.
In the span of exactly one minute, the Pirates went on a 8-0 run that brought them within one-point of the Lions with just over a minute left in the game. The Pittsburg crowd, who went silent for the majority of the second half, suddenly awakened as the Pirates were within striking distance of the upset.
Pittsburg’s Jeremiah Collins (4) makes a dunk against Liberty High during a basketball league game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
But after Pittsburg missed two free throws to potentially tie or take the lead, Vixen made the biggest shot of the night. The 6-foot-3 junior laid in a basket from point-blank range to put the Lions up 59-56 with under 40 seconds left in the game.
With 30 seconds remaining and the Pirates needing a 3-pointer to tie, Liberty’s defense forced Pittsburg into a deep long ball attempt that rimmed out. The Lions made all of their free throws at the end of the game to escape with a road win in hostile territory.
“Our teammates made mistakes, but we knew we had to pick each other up in the fourth quarter,” Vixen said. “It just came down to us executing on the offensive end.”
The difference in the game was the free throw line.
The Pirates made just 21 of 38 foul shots and made only nine of 14 in the fourth quarter. Though Liberty made only 11 of 21 free throw attempts, the Lions made four of six in the fourth quarter.
Despite the loss, Pittsburg coach Richard Gonzales was proud of his team’s efforts down the stretch.
“We’re always going to fight,” Gonzales said. “That’s what Pittsburg basketball has always had. We just had to put it together sooner and just fix the little mistakes.”
The win extends Liberty’s winning streak over BVAL opponents to 26. The last time Liberty lost a league game was in May 2021 during a COVID-19 shortened year.
Liberty still has to play Antioch in its final BVAL game on Friday, but Heinz said he believes the Lions will go into the North Coast Section Playoffs as a No. 4 seed.
When Vixen was asked where he hopes this team is by season’s end, he said “going to the state championship.”
Liberty’s Gavin Cook Whisenton (1) dribbles against Pittsburg’s Sir’Vante Jones (5) and Jeremiah Collins (4) during a basketball league game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Liberty’s Cameron Johnson (23) makes a shot against Pittsburg’s Jeremiah Collins (4) during a basketball league game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Liberty’s Andrew Vixon (22) makes a shot against Pittsburg’s Marrell Alexander (15) during a basketball league game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Pittsburg’s Jeremiah Collins (4) makes a shot against Liberty’s Gavin Cook Whisenton (1) during a basketball league game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Pittsburg’s Sir’Vante Jones (5) is fouled by Liberty’s Andrew Vixon (22) on his attempt to make a basket during a basketball league game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Pittsburg’s Sir’Vante Jones (5) is fouled by Liberty’s Andrew Vixon (22) on his attempt to make a basket during a basketball league game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Pittsburg’s Sir’Vante Jones (5) is fouled by Liberty’s Lloyd Akundinobi (15) on his drive to the hoop during a basketball league game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Liberty’s Gavin Cook Whisenton (1) is double team by Pittsburg’s Sir’Vante Jones (5) and Jeremiah Collins (4) during a basketball league game at Pittsburg High School in Pittsburg, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2024. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
