Balanced Liberty Magnet cruises past G.W. Carver, 61-46

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Liberty Magnet took advantage of a flurry of Carver turnovers —&nbsp;some more forced than others — to blow the highly regarded foes' game open in the second quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>And the balanced Patriots, with nine different players scoring, held off the Rams the rest of the way for the 61-46 win.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/embed/kXQQVvTLM7E","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"embed-handler","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/embed/kXQQVvTLM7E </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1105591' first='Howard' last='Gaskins'] Jr. (6'2" | 2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The junior standout came off the bench and came alive late in the first quarter with a three-point play on a shot in the lane, then a steal and another quick basket. Gaskins finished with a team-high 14 points due in no small part to his menacing defense flying around for three steals and a blocked shot to help get himself and his teammates high-percentage opportunities in transition.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1560413' first='Chandler' last='Holmes'] (6'3" | 2024) and [player_tooltip player_id='1213632' first='Edward' last='Kornbacher'] (6'8" | 2023)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The forward duo led the Patriots' front court production for much of the contest. They brought height and length defensively not only in the lane, but stepping out to help in traps and disrupting passing lanes. Holmes hits a pair of 3-pointers to finish with eight points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal. And Kornbacher had seven points and five rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Preston Coleman Jr. (5'10" | 2023) </strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior was among Liberty's handful of pesky guards that harassed the Rams' ball-handlers further and further up the court as they found success creating turnovers. Coleman finished with seven points, three steals and an assist.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1560409' first='Marquise' last='McPipe'] (6'3" | 2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The junior forward showed the patience he said coach Brandon White and the staff, including former LSU star Tyrus Thomas, have emphasized. McPipe was scoreless for much of the game before putting up nine points down the stretch, including a strong move on the left baseline.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1394530' first='Daijon' last='Leatherman'] (6'8" | 2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The big sophomore was the tallest player on the court and moved well to stay active on both ends of the court in big minutes against a deeper opposing front court. Leatherman was particularly quick in his anticipation on the boards for 10 rebounds and confident in his offensive gain to battle for position, call for post-ups and score 15 points on a mix of those plays and putbacks. He also blocked two shots, snatched two steals and had an assist on a nice feed across the lane.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1105549' first='Laurence' last='Nathan'] (6'1" | 2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The junior guard kept attacking the lane and the basket for 15 points to match Leatherman for the game-high and grabbed three rebounds and a steal. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->