TEXARKANA, Texas -- Liberty-Eylau started the second half of District 15-4A play with a convincing win over cross-town rival Pleasant Grove.
The host Leopards built a 17-point lead in the first quarter and were never challenged, adding to their lead until it topped out at 30 points (74-44) in the final minute of a 76-48 win Friday at the Rader Dome.
Liberty-Eylau (17-6, 4-2) shot 39 percent on 31-of-79 field goals and had 10 fewer turnovers (24-14) than Pleasant Grove.
The Hawks (9-10, 2-4) finished with a 24 percent shooting percentage on 14-of-58 shots. PG won the battle on the glass, 53-46.
Down 24 to start the second half, Pleasant Grove was only able to make up two points in the third quarter and faced a 22-point deficit to start the fourth.
The Leopards went up 25 and 29 points, the latter with 4:48 left to play to put the game out of reach.
Four players scored in double figures for Liberty-Eylau, led by Jackson Roberts' 21 points. Keenue Shepard scored 17 points, Tylek Kelley had 13 and Pharrell Thurman 11. Shawn White pulled down nine rebounds for the Leopards, and Roberts had eight.
Torian Phillips had 18 points for the Hawks, Jaylen Boardley had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, and Kennon Kelley had nine points and 13 boards.
Just a few minutes into the game Liberty-Eylau found another gear and sped away from the Hawks. The Leopards scored six straight to go up 13-4 and extended that to a 15-2 run to take a commanding 22-6 lead with 1:36 left in the first quarter.
L-E led 26-9 at the first break and the score was never closer than 13 points in the second quarter. The Leopards' advantage was as many as 25 in the second period, and they took a 48-24 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Liberty-Eylau shot 43 percent (20-of-47) in the first half, and Pleasant Grove shot 24 percent (7-of-29).
Liberty-Eylau's junior varsity rallied late for a 55-48 win. Carlos Ford had 11 points for Liberty-Eylau, and Kaydean Blaylock added 10. Six Leopards had at least six points.
Justin Casteel led PG's Jaycee with 12 points, and Nick Jefferson added nine points.
The Hawks' freshmen won, 45-37, with Ty Boozer and Keighston King scoring 13 apiece for PG. Kendrevion Boyce led the Leopards with 14 points, and Jayshun Weatherall scored 10.
Pleasant Grove’s Torian Phillips, right, goes up for a rebound against two Liberty-Eylau defenders during Friday’s DIstrict 15-4A basketball game at the Rader Dome. The Leopards led nearly wire-to-wire to dispatch the Hawks, 76-48. (Staff photo by Kevin Sutton)
