The South Titans scored the most points they've had all season to find success on Saturday. They breezed by Liberal at home to the tune of 76-44. For those curious, yes, that was the biggest win South has managed all season.
South's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Parker Hardgrave led the charge by scoring 18 points along with five rebounds and three blocks. The matchup was Hardgrave's fourth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Jonovan Howard, who scored 15 points.
Despite the loss, Liberal still got an impressive performance from J. Brooks Kappelmann, who scored seven points along with seven rebounds. Xavier Tafoya was another key contributor, scoring four points along with five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Liberal were smashing the offensive glass and finished the game with 14 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as South only pulled down four offensive rebounds.
The victory got South back to even at 3-3. As for Liberal, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 3-2.
South will have some time to savor their win since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Southeast at 7:15 p.m. on January 9, 2024. Liberal will be home for the holidays to greet Hugoton at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Hugoton presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than Liberal in Kansas (Hugoton is ranked 18th, while Liberal is ranked 175th).
