{"id":1908,"date":"2013-10-03T21:55:47","date_gmt":"2013-10-04T01:55:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/?p=1908"},"modified":"2013-10-03T22:10:16","modified_gmt":"2013-10-04T02:10:16","slug":"basketball-steals-the-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/post\/basketball-steals-the-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Basketball \u2018Steals\u2019 the Show"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Shenendehowa,<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Schenectady, NY<\/strong> \u2013 It was one of those \u201cTriple-H Days\u201d<\/strong> (Hazy, Hot, & Humid), and no matter what the weather was like, inside or outside, it didn\u2019t appear to have any effect on the Boys and Girls that made the Pat Riley Center<\/strong> the focus of the Liberty Games<\/strong> for the Basketball<\/strong> competition.\u00a0 \u201cWith 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\u201d,<\/strong> said Anthony Mills (Executive Director of the Empire State Sports Council).\u00a0 He added, \u201cFrom my vantage point, and after meeting several of the Coaches and Athletes involved in the 2013 Tournament, the competition was much hotter on \u2018The Court\u2019 than that of the temperature in the building!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 There were five (5)<\/strong> separate\"\"<\/a> divisions contested, and not one (1)<\/strong> of them was going to be easy to win the cherished Gold Medal<\/strong>.\u00a0 Arguably the most competitive game of the day was the Gold Medal<\/strong> game that pitted the Shenendehowa Plainsmen<\/strong> against Eastern Elite<\/strong> in the Girl\u2019s 10th<\/sup> – 11th<\/sup><\/strong> grade division, which was every bit a nail biter, and could have gone either way.\u00a0 With solid defense and consistent shooting from both teams, it was the stingy and aggressive defense of the Plainsmen<\/strong> inside of the last minute that caused a couple of key turnovers from Eastern Elite<\/strong>, and tipped the balance, giving Shenendehowa<\/strong> the victory in the waning seconds.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 According to Bill Lipscomb<\/strong>, the Girl\u2019s Basketball Sports Chair, \u201cThis was a very exciting Basketball competition, and each of these teams were happy to be here, and are eager to return.\u201d<\/strong>\u00a0 Basketball Chairwoman Crickett O\u2019Dell<\/strong>, who was critical in leading the way for the success of the Basketball<\/strong> competition noted, \u201cWe are going to seek an \u2018Air Conditioned\u2019 venue for the Liberty Games in 2014.”<\/strong>\u00a0 Crickett also filled a role during the competition as a Referee.\u00a0 Special Thanks to an outstanding group of Basketball Officials<\/strong>, who were consummate professionals in any number of \u201cheated moments\u201d<\/strong>.\u00a0 With the indoor temperatures nearing 100<\/strong> degrees, one might submit that such was the case for the entire competition.<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 To catch a glimpse of some of the Basketball<\/strong> competition, just scroll down the page.\u00a0 For all of the Basketball Results<\/strong>, just visit the Liberty Games<\/strong> website at www.TheLibertyGames.com<\/a><\/strong>, and click on \u201cResults\u201d<\/strong> from the navigation bar, and then click the “Basketball”<\/strong> button.\u00a0 To Register<\/strong> for the 2014 Liberty Games<\/strong> just click the following link:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0http:\/\/essportscouncil.org\/liberty-games\/post\/basketball\/<\/strong>\n\t\t