(Abarw.com/Allison Weirich Photo) Shane LaCaille scored 18 points and dished out 7 assists as the LHHS Panthers won their area round playoff for the first time in 3 years, a 77-43 victory Feb. 24 over La Vernia
By Merle Bertrand, Sportswriter
A lot of teams have tried to slow down the game against the Liberty Hill Runnin’ Panthers this season, even if that’s not their natural style of play.
Slow and deliberate was the style of play for the Panthers’ Area Round playoff opponent, the La Vernia Bears, who had won twenty games during the season while averaging less than fifty points per game.
Coach Barry Boren’s Panthers have also had plenty of success with their up-tempo style of play, however. When the dust settled last Friday night (Feb. 24) in Wimberley, it was the Panthers who prevailed, as Liberty Hill cruised to a 77-43 victory over the gutsy Bears.
(Abarw.com/Allison Weirich Photo) Callen Mikulencak (5) and Robert Koepl (white jersey, guarding #3) of the LHHS Panthers play tight defense against La Vernia.
It wasn’t easy for the Panthers (32-3), however. The Bears took enough air out of the ball to keep within striking range at the half, with Liberty Hill heading to the locker room up by fifteen at 33-18.
The Panthers exploded out of the gate in the third quarter, as their relentless press, sharp shooting from the field, and waves of contributions from the Panthers’ deep bench finally wore down the Bears (20-10). Their 27-8 burst put the Panthers comfortably out in front 60-26 after three quarters, allowing Coach Boren to empty his bench in the fourth quarter.
The win erased the bitter taste for Panthers fans left over from two consecutive first-round playoff losses. It also took a considerable amount of pressure off of Coach Boren and his team.
“You know, it’s like a heavy weight’s been lifted off of our shoulders,” Boren admitted. “A lot has been said and made out of the fact that, you know, we’ve won a lot of games the last two years and lost in the first round of the playoffs, but we’ve tried to keep things on a pretty nice keel. I think a lot of times, the luck of the draw had something to do with it.
“I don’t think we played as crisply in the first half as we could have,” the coach critiqued his team’s performance. “But again, this first playoff game, when you have a bye on Tuesday, is just a tough deal. It’s tough for a lot of people and I’m glad it’s behind us. The first playoff game’s always the toughest one.”
The Panthers shot 28-of-57 (49 percent) from the field and 8-of-24 (33 percent) from the 3-point line against La Vernia. Liberty Hill shot 13-of-16 (81 percent) from the charity stripe.
Nine players cracked the scoring book for the Panthers, led by Blake Danielak’s 20 points, 18 rebounds and nine rebounds. Shane LaCaille 18 points and seven assists, while Stephen Graves added 12 points, two assists, two rebounds and two steals.
(Abarw.com/Allison Weirich Photo) Austin Davis (10) tallied 2 points and 1 rebound in the victory over La Vernia.
Other contributors included senior Tyeler Greenstreet (eight points, two rebounds, two steals and an assist); senior Blake Hare (six points, two assists and two rebounds); freshman Callen Mikulencak (five points and three rebounds); senior Nik Crozier (four points and one assist; senior Corey McKinzey (two points, two assists, two rebounds and a steal; and junior Austin Davis (two points and one rebound).
The depth on display did not go unnoticed by Coach Boren.
“The thing that has made our team special is the fact that we’ve had our role players step up and really, a lot of the things that they did go unnoticed,” Boren stated. “Everybody is cognizant of Shane because he handles the ball so much and Stephen because he hits those outside shots and Blake because he blocks shots and makes baskets, but…it’s really been a combined effort.
“I think that’s one thing that makes you feel so good about what’s happened for these guys is they feel good about their contribution. So it’s been a total team effort.”
The Panthers now advance to the Regional Quarterfinals for the first time since 2009. They will meet Hondo on Tuesday night (Feb. 28) at San Marcos High School for the right to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
