Zachary, Liberty talent on display until game-ending fight

Jerit Roser

February 16, 2023 @ 12:55 PM

An intense, chippy battle between District 4-5A rivals Zachary and Liberty Magnet was abruptly punctuated by a fight midway through the fourth quarter.   Officials and officers called the game and cleared the gym following scuffle between a player from each team with the visiting Broncos leading, 66-48, with 3:19 remaining that escalated into individuals coming from seemingly every direction — most seeming to help diffuse the situation, but others to join the fray.   The LHSAA is investigating the incident, and no official result has been entered into the organization's scheduling system.   But the scene was an ugly and frustrating conclusion to a high-profile and high-level matchup between two of Louisiana's top teams in the midst of a wide-open District 4-5A race.   Zachary (21-5, 2-1) and Liberty (18-9, 2-1) entered the evening each as the No. 3 seeds in their respective Division-I power rankings, the Broncos on the nonselect side and the Patriots on the select.   The teams also sat just a victory behind Scotlandville and Catholic (Baton Rouge) for first place in their league's race with the regular season concluding Friday.   Here are a few notes on some of the top performers during the three and a half quarters before matters turned. The two players at the center of the incident have been removed.     [player_tooltip player_id='2197029' first='Kheiri' last='Haynes'] (2024) | 5-7 G | Zachary   The junior guard came out of the gates on absolute fire with a steal, basket through contact and foul shot for a three-point play and then a 3-pointer. One of the smallest players on the court helped the visiting team set an immediate town in a hostile environment and was among the toughest and feistiest players on the court — but under control — in an intense, chippy and physical matchup. Haynes was a quick, sure ball-handler capable of getting by defenders and into the lane for a team-high 20 points and three assists. He corralled six rebounds, tied for second most in the game, despite an abundance of taller, longer players elsewhere on the court, and he snatched a pair of steals.   BeeJay Brooks (2024) | 6-4 F | Zachary   The versatile junior forward added 18 points to Haynes' scoring efforts. Brooks is a long, lean three-level scorer who confidently drained both of his 3-point attempts in the second quarter and provided critical, timely answers in the fourth quarter to Liberty's second-half surge. Brooks finished with a game-high 10 rebounds and a steal and showcased his talent all over the court handling, scoring, defending and rebounding from the perimeter to the post and everywhere in between.   [player_tooltip player_id='1130799' first='Brandon' last='Hardy'] (2023) | 6-3 G | Zachary   The Broncos' senior leader chipped in eight points, three rebounds and an assist on a night on which he battled foul trouble, but showed the maturity and rapport with his coaches to be trusted to stay in the game for stretches on which other players might have been more quickly brought to the bench. Notably, the Ragin' Cajuns signee smoothly drained a 3-pointer nearly 10 feet beyond the 3-point arc in the second quarter with a confident range that few, if any, other players in the state possess.   [player_tooltip player_id='1105591' first='Howard' last='Gaskins'] Jr. (2024) | 6-2 G | Liberty Magnet   The Patriots' veteran took charge of his team to help provide what answers they could to Zachary's hot first half and then to finally begin mounting a comeback in the third quarter. The big, physical guard did most of his damage driving into or around the lane en route to a game-high 21 points, along with six rebounds, a couple steals and an assist.   Malek Robertson (2025) | 5-8 G | Liberty Magnet   The sophomore guard was once again a two-way spark-plug for Liberty with eight points, two steals and an assist. Robertson possesses good length and strength for his position and age — including looking taller than listed — and is hyper-active and absolutely fearless in his on-ball defense and attacking of the lane.

An intense, chippy battle between District 4-5A rivals Zachary and Liberty Magnet was abruptly punctuated by a fight midway through the fourth quarter.