Colorado Springs – Even the nicest cars can’t do much when they run out of gas.
That’s exactly what happened Tuesday night to No. 7 and previously undefeated Mesa Ridge against Liberty.
The Lancers’ sideline looked more like a hockey bench as Liberty rotated 10 players to maintain full-court pressure and a hyperactive offense.
The result: 26 baskets, 24 turnovers, 27 fouls and one tired Grizzlies team. More important, the Lancers earned their first win in the Class 4A Colorado Springs Metro League with a 73-64 victory.
“We talked about going in and battling hard and not forgetting what we practice,” said Bo Shonka, one of five Lancers to score in double figures.
Liberty (5-4, 1-2 league) took the lead for good early in the first quarter and raced to an 18-5 lead but was forced to hold on in the second half as Mesa Ridge (8-1, 3-1) battled back to tie the game and stay close.
Shonka led Liberty with 13 points. Marcus Molinari and Brandon Vargas each scored 12 points. Josh Page and freshman substitute Wes McKenzie added 11 points apiece.
Mesa Ridge leaned heavily on six players and eventually ran into problems. The Grizzlies struggled to push the tempo, had two starters foul out in the fourth quarter and got just eight points from the bench compared with 22 for Liberty.
“That’s a credit to them,” Grizzlies coach Monte Fetters said. “Their players outplayed us in every facet. They outcoached us tonight and they beat us in every facet of the game.”
Mesa Ridge’s Jamal Dickerson had a game-high 23 points and nine rebounds. Thomas Vallejo added 14 points, and Andre Wells came off the bench to chip in eight points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots.
“I don’t know that it was a surprise that we never gave up the lead,” Shonka said. “It was more of a mental thing. We committed to not giving up the lead.”
Mesa Ridge 16 8 22 18 – 64
Liberty 20 13 19 21 – 73
Mesa Ridge – Dickerson 8 7-12 23, Grimaldo 1 0-0 2, Brunow 3 2-5 8, Vallejo 4 4-6 14, Salas 2 4-8 9, Wells 2 4-4 8, Smalls 0 0-0 0, Gipson 0 0-2 0, Kretz 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 21-37 64.
Liberty – Shonka 3 7-8 13, Page 4 0-0 11, Molinari 5 1-1 12, Vargas 5 2-4 12, Gray 1 1-2 3, McKenzie 5 1-1 11, Fielder 1 0-0 2, Thompson 1 3-4 5, Nicholson 0 0-0 0, Trimpey 1 1-2 4, Barnes 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 16-22 73.
3-point goals – Vallejo 2, Salas; Page 3, Molinari, Trimpey. Total fouls – Mesa Ridge 17, Liberty 27. Fouled out – Grimaldo, Brunow. Technical – Page.
