Thayer and Liberty closed out SCA play with a varsity doubleheader on Saturday. Both games had conference championship implications. The Thayer boys won to clinch a share of the SCA title while the Thayer girls beat fellow conference unbeaten Liberty to win the SCA title outright.
BOYS
The Thayer boys jumped out to an early 16-10 lead after one quarter and looked like they were going to run away with the game carrying a 33-20 lead into the break.
Out of the half, Liberty pushed back with a 20-11 advantage in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 44-40 after three quarters. Thayer turned Liberty back in the fourth quarter with a 20-9 advantage in the frame on the way to a 64-49 win.
Easton Pitts led Thayer and all scorers with 22 points. Brandon Prince was just behind him with 16 points. Devin Harrington had 11.
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Gavin Reese led Liberty with 13 points. Parker Tune was also in double figures with 10.
Thayer clinched a share of the SCA title with the win sharing the title with Mountain Grove. Both programs finished the conference race with one loss each.
Thayer (20-4) will play in the Class 3 District 10 tournament next week as the No. 1 seed. Liberty (16-10) is the No. 3 seed in the same bracket.
Thayer – 16-17-11-20 – 64
Liberty – 10-10-20-9 — 49
T: Easton Pitts 22, Brandon Prince 16, Devin Harrington 11, Cordell Washington 6, Riley White 5, Cooper Clark 4
L: Gavin Reese 13, Parker Tune 10, Alex Tune 9, Drayton Wells 8, Landon Hines 6, Brian Thompson 3
GIRLS
Both the Liberty and Thayer girls entered Saturday’s final regular season game with matching unbeaten records.
Host Liberty jumped out fast with a 26-point first quarter taking a 26-11 lead after one frame. Hadley Chowning scored 10 of her team-high 20 points in the first quarter for the Lady Eagles.
After that, Thayer went to work on both ends of the floor.
The Lady Bobcats outscored Liberty 20-16 in the second quarter and 20-13 in the third quarter to cut the deficit to four at 55-51.
In the final quarter, Thayer’s defense went to another level holding Liberty to just nine points while scoring 20 points once again to win 71-64. Thayer went 11-for-14 from the free throw line in the final frame.
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Abby Bowers led all scorers with 28 points for Thayer. Ryleigh Davis had 19 while Kadyn Hilles scored 18.
Ella Phipps scored 17 points and Ashlynn Henry scored 10 in the game for Liberty.
Thayer finishes the regular season with a 19-5 record overall and a perfect record in conference play.
Liberty finishes the regular with a 17-9 record.
The two teams could meet again in one week as Thayer is the No. 1 seed in Class 3 District 10 and Liberty is the No. 2 seed.
Thayer – 11-20-20-20 — 71
Liberty – 26-16-13-9 — 64
T: Abby Bowers 28, Ryleigh Davis 19, Kadyn Hilles 18, Ally Kerley 6
L: Hadley Chowning 20, Ella Phipps 17, Ashlynn Henry 10, Delani Ellett 8, Jayli Tharp 5, Korie Lind 4
