Buzzer Beater by Liberty 'Traitor' Sinks Patriots

In the end it was not Benedict Arnold, but another “traitor” who did in the Patriots.

Izel Dickerson, a point guard who transferred from Freedom High School to crosstown rival Liberty before this school year, launched a 40-foot prayer as time ran out to give the Hurricanes a dramatic 51-48 victory on the Patriots’ home court Friday night.

Just moments before he made the deciding shot, he had been derided by rowdy Freedom fans with chants of “Traitor! Traitor!” as he sank two crucial free throws.

The stage for Dickerson’s heroism was set by his former teammates, who missed six free throws in the final minutes, and the remarkable Darrun Hilliard, who even hobbled and hurting in the game’s final 2:14, carried Liberty from a 5-point deficit to a tie with 3.1 seconds to go.

With a loss, Freedom, now 5-8 in the Lehigh Valley Conference and 8-13 overall, missed its last opportunity to gain a seeding in the District XI playoffs. Liberty, 12-2 in the LVC and 17-4 overall, is on its way to the conference playoffs next week.

This game, which featured several lead changes, was a far cry from the first meeting of these two rival teams a month ago – when Liberty gave Freedom a 61-27 beating on its home court while Hilliard celebrated scoring the 1,000th point of his high school career.

With 3:24 left in the game and Freedom leading 45-40, a mishandled Hurricane pass left Joe Lococo alone on a fast break. Somehow, Hilliard closed to block the shot, but he was called for the foul. Even worse, he was on the floor and hurting. Liberty’s star player had to be helped off the court.

As trainers tended to Hilliard at the end of Liberty’s bench, Lococo, who led his team with 16 points, made one of two free throw shots. A few minutes later, but less than a minute in game time, Hilliard was limping toward the scorer’s table a la Willis Reed.

At 2:14, Hilliard checked back into the game. At 2:11 he had drawn a foul and was shooting free throws. He led all players with 23 points and 15 rebounds.

Up by four, Freedom was now trying to hold on to the game by holding onto the ball. Liberty countered by committing fouls, which the Patriots struggled to convert.

Lococo missed two more charity shots with 1:13 left, leaving the score at 47-43.  At the other end of the floor, Hilliard missed two shots in the paint as he was swarmed by the collapsing Patriots defense. Derike Chiclana eventually came away with a rebound and Hilliard immediately fouled him with 44 seconds left.

Hilliard nearly collapsed after the sequence but stayed on the court as Chiclana (6 points) missed his two free throws.

On Liberty’s next possession, Dickerson (12 points) drew a foul and was unaffected by the wrath of the Freedom faithful, sinking two shots to bring the Patriots to within two points.

Liberty fouled Jordan Young on Freedom’s ensuing possession and Young (3 points) sank one of two with 25 seconds left, making it 48-45 Patriots.

The Hurricanes struggled to find an open shooter for the first few seconds of its next possession, and nearly turned it over before a frustrated Coach Chad Landis called a time out with 11.4 seconds on the clock.

Whatever Landis told his players, Hilliard had the ball in his hands to the left of the top of the key where he drained his only three-point bucket of the game with 3.1 seconds left.

The score was tied. But there Hilliard was on the ground again, in pain, and unable to move. A member of the Liberty staff said after the game that Hilliard has recently struggled with muscle cramps.

After a Patriot time out, Liberty took the floor without its star. But the inbounds pass from under Liberty’s basket was a little off target. It bounced off the hands of a Freedom player and into the hands of Dickerson, who dribbled twice, then fired.

Buzzer. Glass. Net. Ballgame.

The Liberty side of the gymnasium erupted in jubilation for the Students swarmed the court. Patriot players collapsed to their knees in disbelief. Freedom’s faithful could only sit in stunned silence.

A visibly exhausted Hilliard stood and smiled. A few minutes later, coaches were carrying him into the locker room.