Basketball ‘Steals’ the Show
Schenectady, NY – It was one of those “Triple-H Days” (Hazy, Hot, & Humid), and no matter what the weather was like, inside or outside, it didn’t appear to have any effect on the Boys and Girls that made the Pat Riley Center the focus of the Liberty Games for the Basketball competition. “With so many great Basketball names having played in this gym, and Pat Riley (former NBA Player and Coach for the LA Lakers) being one of those Athletes, it seemed the perfect location to launch the Inaugural Basketball competition for the Liberty Games”, said Anthony Mills (Executive Director of the Empire State Sports Council). He added, “From my vantage point, and after meeting several of the Coaches and Athletes involved in the 2013 Tournament, the competition was much hotter on ‘The Court’ than that of the temperature in the building!”
There were five (5) separate
divisions contested, and not one (1) of them was going to be easy to win the cherished Gold Medal. Arguably the most competitive game of the day was the Gold Medal game that pitted the Shenendehowa Plainsmen against Eastern Elite in the Girl’s 10th – 11th grade division, which was every bit a nail biter, and could have gone either way. With solid defense and consistent shooting from both teams, it was the stingy and aggressive defense of the Plainsmen inside of the last minute that caused a couple of key turnovers from Eastern Elite, and tipped the balance, giving Shenendehowa the victory in the waning seconds.
According to Bill Lipscomb, the Girl’s Basketball Sports Chair, “This was a very exciting Basketball competition, and each of these teams were happy to be here, and are eager to return.” Basketball Chairwoman Crickett O’Dell, who was critical in leading the way for the success of the Basketball competition noted, “We are going to seek an ‘Air Conditioned’ venue for the Liberty Games in 2014.” Crickett also filled a role during the competition as a Referee. Special Thanks to an outstanding group of Basketball Officials, who were consummate professionals in any number of “heated moments”. With the indoor temperatures nearing 100 degrees, one might submit that such was the case for the entire competition.
To catch a glimpse of some of the Basketball competition, just scroll down the page. For all of the Basketball Results, just visit the Liberty Games website at www.TheLibertyGames.com, and click on “Results” from the navigation bar, and then click the “Basketball” button. To Register for the 2014 Liberty Games just click the following link: http://essportscouncil.org/liberty-games/post/basketball/
