BERKELEY — Berkeley high coach Mike Hudson knew his team wasn’t facing a regular No. 7 seed.
When the North Coast Section revealed its Division I bracket last Sunday, Hudson was surprised to see a 22-3 Bay Valley Athletic League champion seeded so low.
“I thought Liberty should have been seeded higher,” Hudson said. “They got disrespected from the (North Coast Section) for sure because they’re a good team. Well coached too.”
The Lions agreed.
Liberty thought they deserved a top-four seed, but were surprised to see the committee had placed them at No. 7.
The Lions carried that chip on their shoulder into Friday’s second round NCS Division I game where they came out determined to prove everyone wrong.
And they did just that when Liberty upset No. 2 seed Berkeley High 63-48 to advance to the NCS semifinals for the first time under head coach Jon Heinz.
“It’s rough when you feel like you deserve to have a second round home game,” Heinz said. “I’m just proud of the guys and how consistent they were … Tonight really showed what kind of team these guys can be when they play together.”
Gavin Cook-Whisenton led Liberty with 22 points and Cameron Johnson added 15.
Ollie Miller and Samir O’ Brien each had 11 points for Berkeley in the loss.
Liberty blitzed Berkeley from the jump. The Lions controlled the pace using a 2-2-1 press that forced six first half turnovers.
The constant pressure helped Liberty build a lead as much as 10 points in the second quarter and a 29-22 lead at halftime.
But Berkeley’s offense woke up coming out of intermission. The Yellow Jackets went on a 15-6 run to start the third quarter and took a 37-35 lead at the 3:04 mark.
For a moment, it looked like Berkeley might turn the tide. But that’s when Cook-Whisenton decided to put the game in his hands.
The 6-foot-2 senior scored 18 points in the second half to jolt the Liberty offense back to life.
“When I’m just in that mode, I’m just gonna keep it going,” Whisenton said.
The Lions rebuilt their double-digit lead in the fourth quarter, and the dagger came when Johnson swished a 3-pointer with the shot clock running down to give Liberty a 53-42 lead with just over two minutes left in the fourth period.
Liberty played a clean game on both sides of the floor, turning the ball over just five times and allowed just six points in the fourth quarter.
Hudson knew coming into Friday’s game his team was going to need to get into a rhythm early after not playing a game for nine days.
“As a coach, I don’t like long layoffs,” Hudson said. “We came into today on a seven-game winning streak playing our best basketball. I’m not using that as an excuse, but it was hard for us to readjust.”
Though Heinz can finally say he got Liberty over the second round NCS hump, that didn’t matter much to the long-time Lions head coach.
“I’m not concerned about the accomplishments tonight because we’re now in the third round,” Heinz said. “I’m greedy. I want more.”
The Lions will have three days to prepare for No. 3 seeded Dublin, which beat Campolindo by 23 points on Friday.
“I’m looking at Dublin and I don’t really care,” Cook-Whisenton said. “Nobody is going to stand in front of us and get the W. I know it’s going to be a good matchup like tonight was. I think a win can really change a lot of minds about what people think about us.”