A tough second quarter on both ends of the floor deflated Fayetteville-Manlius and led to their 87-53 home loss to Liverpool.
The Hornets (2-9) were only down by 7 points at the end of the first quarter, but, Liverpool found a way to break free in the second frame, which is when they outscored F-M 29-8.
But, though the second quarter definitely crushed F-M’s spirits, it wasn’t the only time when Liverpool had the momentum. The visiting team was energized early and sustained their energy through the final buzzer.
And anybody who was in that gym could feel that. The away crowd energized their team and F-M’s student section was battling them and looking for a reason to burst out into their chants and wanted to allow their team to feed off of the noise level.
They almost had a great reason to celebrate at the beginning of the second half courtesy of Timmy Zapisek. Zapisek began the second half by hitting a pair of three-pointers and finished the game with a team-high 20 points.
Still, Liverpool found a way around it and they executed their offense very well, as they shaped their gameplan around the concept of playing inside-out, leading to open shots from behind the arc.
Liverpool junior Noah Issakainen hit five three-pointers and had an answer to every burst of energy that F-M and its crowd had. He ended up with 17 points, but, he consistently knocked down shots when the Hornets were beginning to gain confidence.
Issakainen’s performance on the offensive end complemented his team’s defensive effort. They ran the 2-3 zone to perfection, which caused confusion on the offensive end for F-M.
Zapisek tried to find a way ignite the Hornets throughout the game. He also hit a three-pointer in the first half, making him 3-for-8 from long range in the game. He also gathered four rebounds, had two assists, and blocked a shot.
Jawaan Crouch also hit a few three-pointers. Crouch was 4-of-8 overall and 2-for-3 from downtown, leading to his ten points. He also had six rebounds, two of which were offensive, an assist, and a block.
Crouch and his teammates weren’t able to decode Liverpool’s 2-3 zone and struggled to defend the three-point line, denying them the victory.
