Girls basketball: Youngsters fuel Avon's win over Amherst

AMHERST — The rock group The Who probably said it best more than 50 years ago — the kids are all right. Avon sophomore Abby Liber and freshman Brooke Laub combined to score the first 13 points of the fourth quarter to turn a tight game into a 48-36 Southwestern Conference win over Amherst on Wednesday night. "To be led by a freshman and a sophomore, as a coach it's definitely a very exciting thing," Eagles coach Meghan Larrick said. "We had some turnovers that were unforced. It could have gone one way or the other, but those two stepped up and it definitely helped us get over that hump." Liber had a team-high 15 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had a pair of steals. Laub came off the bench to score 10 points, including her first varsity 3-pointer and six straight points in the fourth. "When I first get into games it's a little scary, but I know my teammates are behind me and always have my back," Laub said. "I think playing so much growing up, I really didn't think about what I was doing." Avon (3-0, 1-0 SWC) needed the late surge after the Comets (1-1, 1-1) pushed the Eagles through the first half and through the third, trailing just 20-18 at the half and 29-23 heading to the final eight minutes. It's no secret that Amherst's offense runs through 6-foot-1 Amaya Staton and despite being double-teamed most of the night, she scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed six rebounds to keep the Comets close. "Amaya is going to get that all year," Amherst coach Jay Valadez said. "She's going to get doubled and she's used to it. She knows it's coming. One thing I thought they (Eagles) did a nice job of was taking her away, outside the paint. "She can get to the hoop and taking that away hurt us. Having her not be able to drive the way they were packing in, it frustrated her." The Comets fell behind 25-18 to start the second half as Ashlee Torbert drained a 3-pointer and Alyssa Peganoff (eight points) scored off a Torbert steal three minutes into the third. Neither team generated much offense for the balance of the quarter as Staton scored all five points for Amherst to keep her team in the game. That's where the kids took over for the Eagles as Liber scored the first five of the quarter for Avon on a pair of driving baskets and a free throw for a 34-29 lead. "In the fourth quarter, we definitely didn't take as many shots, so we didn't have as many missed rebounds where they could go back and score," Liber said. "I feel like were much calmer in the fourth quarter." After Liber's early scoring run, Laub scored six straight with a pair of driving baskets and two free throws. Liber finished the 13-point youngster scoring run with two free throws for a 42-33 lead with 1:44 left. Amherst could only split six free throw attempts in the final 97 seconds. "(Staton) is a great basketball player and is really hard to guard," Larrick said. "She's a strong basketball player and we talked to our team about being more physical and aggressive. I think it was a whole team effort to try stop her." Contact James Brady at 329-7135 or jbrady_ct@yahoo.com. Avon 48, Amherst 36 AVON (48): Kaylee Clements 0-0-0, Brooke Laub 3-3-10, Abby Liber 5-5-15, Kylie Goetz 0-0-0, Alyssa Peganoff 4-0-8, Ashlee Torbert 1-2-5, Catie Geiger 1-0-2, Halle Noble 1-0-2, Nyah Snezek 1-0-2, Alyssa McClellon 1-0-2, Kiley Williams 0-2-2. Totals 17-12-48. AMHERST (36): Lexy Alston 1-0-2, Nora Wright 0-0-0, Faith Lewis 1-3-5, Aya Vicens 0-2-2, Jocelyn 1-0-2, Bailey Smith 0-0-0, Anna Cairns 3-0-6, Amaya Staton 8-3-19. Totals 14-8-36. Avon &emsp;&emsp;9 &emsp;&emsp;11 9 &emsp;&emsp;19 - &emsp;&emsp;48 Amherst &emsp;&emsp;12 6 &emsp;&emsp;5 &emsp;&emsp;13 - &emsp;&emsp;36 Three-point goals: Avon 2-9 (22 percent, Torbert, Laub); Amherst 0-2 (0 percent). Field goals: Avon 17-45 (38 percent); Amherst 14-39 (36 percent). Free throws: Avon 12-18 (67 percent); Amherst 8-20 (40 percent). Rebounds: Avon 35 Amherst 28 Turnovers: Avon 15, Amherst 19 Fouled Out: None JV – Avon, 44-15