Liberty Magnet vs. Catholic (Baton Rouge) top performers

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Made field goals were at a premium much of Friday as Liberty Magnet and Catholic (Baton Rouge) battled their way to respective season-lows.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>But the Patriots crashed the boards for a pair of timely offensive rebounds midway through the fourth quarter to snatch a quick five-point lead on their way to a 41-39 victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"That was big," senior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1105591' first='Howard' last='Gaskins'] Jr. said. "The scout (report), watching all the film, seeing we could crash offensive rebounds and that could be offense for us. So we just stuck with it."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gaskins snatched the first of the consecutive rebounds and found junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='2408250' first='Malek' last='Robinson'] for a go-ahead 3-pointer, then junior guard Carson Franklin chased down the next and found senior forward [player_tooltip player_id='1408867' first='Jaylen' last='Peters'] for the the 32-27 lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Bears continued to battle, but Liberty managed enough timely stops and free throws down the stretch to never relinquish even a share of the lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"It's always a good game," Robinson said about the competitive series in a loaded District 4-5A. "I love playing 'em."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU3ZE8iUwNM","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sU3ZE8iUwNM </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1105591' first='Howard' last='Gaskins'] Jr. — 6-2 G — Liberty Magnet (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The senior guard began looking for his shot late in the first quarter to try to help sparking the Patriots out of their slow start and eventually added some of the team's most pivotal plays down the stretch on the game-tying alley-oop finish late in the third, a go-ahead bucket at the buzzer to end that quarter and then the offensive rebound and assist for the aforementioned go-ahead score in the fourth. The tall, physical guard finished with 15 points and six rebounds.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nico Jones — 6-2 G — Catholic (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The junior standout took charge in helping carry his team through the tough offensive night with a game-high 17 points on three 3-pointers, including two in the fourth quarter, and 6-for-6 shooting from the foul line. Jones also grabbed five rebounds, tied for second on the team, and blocked a shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Mikai Lacy — 6-2 G — Catholic (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Other Bears such as Matthew Hotstream, [player_tooltip player_id='1347276' first='Tate' last='McCurry'] and Matthew Trahan have garnered notes following recent games. But in the interest of highlighting a newer name, Lacy made his presence felt with some timely plays off the bench to help fill out the rotation. The junior guard grabbed three rebounds, including a pair on the offensive side he converted into impressive, acrobatic backward putbacks while still in the air. He also snatched one of his team's five steals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1408867' first='Jaylen' last='Peters'] — 6-6 F — Liberty Magnet (2024)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The tall, athletic forward finished with four points, but made huge plays with his defensive disruptive and hustle on the boards on both ends of the court. Peters finished with a game-high nine rebounds, a blocked shot and a steal. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2408250' first='Malek' last='Robinson'] — 5-10 G — Liberty Magnet (2025)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The junior guard finished with seven points on a three-point play in the third quarter, the fourth-quarter 3-pointer and another late free throw, but his impacts as a facilitator and pesky on-ball defender with long arms and active hands were constant from the start. Robinson finished with four assists, including the game-tying and go-ahead baskets by Gaskins late in the third and a huge Franklin 3-pointer down the stretch. And he snatched two steals and disrupted several other Catholic possessions with deflections.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG7zMUS00q0","type":"video","providerNameSlug":"youtube","responsive":true,"className":"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG7zMUS00q0 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed -->