There's no place like home for the Liberty Chargers, who bounced back after a tough loss on the road last Wednesday. They walked away with a 57-47 win over Celebration on Thursday. That's another feather in the cap for Liberty, who also won these teams' last head-to-head.
Liberty's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Lamar Lee, who scored 16 points along with five assists and five steals. Lee is crushing the steal category: he's posted at least two every time he's taken the court this season. Another player making a difference was Mike Thelusme, who scored 15 points along with five assists.
Celebration lost despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Kendley Jean, who dropped a double-double on 13 points and 15 rebounds. Jean is on a roll when it comes to rebounds, as he's now pulled down nine or more in the last five games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Ricardo Baro, who scored 15 points along with five rebounds.
Even though they lost, Celebration smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.
Liberty's win bumped their record up to 6-14. As for Celebration, they are on a ten-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 3-17.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Liberty and the Knights will face off at 7:00 p.m. on February 1st without much rest after finishing up games yesterday. Ocoee presents a significant challenge as they come into the match much higher ranked than the Chargers in Florida (the Knights are ranked 77th, while the Chargers are ranked 573rd). As for Celebration, they will head out on the road to take on the Broncos at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
