PAGE A24, KEIZERTIMES, DECEMBER 24, 2021
Celts fall to Liberty despite big offensive night
McNary guard Avery Buss is fouled on her way up for a shot. Buss scored 11 points in the Celtics' 66-64 loss to Liberty on Friday, Dec. 17.
SPORTS
BY MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
Despite one of their best offensive
performances in recent memory, the
McNary girls' basketball team fell short
in the final quarter against Liberty.
The Celtics entered the final period
with a nine-point lead, but were out-
scored 23-12 in the final eight minutes,
falling to Liberty by a score of 66-64 on
Friday, Dec. 17.
It was the most points the Celtics
had scored in a game since the 2019-20
season.
“Our offense
is what kept us
in the game. We
had good posses-
sions and were
moving the ball
well, especially
in the first half.
But I told them
at halftime that
defense is going
to win this game,”
McNary
head
coach Elizabeth
Doran said. “We
needed to hold
them to one shot
per possession
and secure the
McNary head coach
rebound,
and
that is what we
didn't do in the second half.”
Ava Rubio and Kylie Nepstad each
scored 19 points for the Celtics, while
Avery Buss also was in double-figures
with 11.
“I felt like it was our defensive exe-
cution that wasn't going for us. We
should have been able to get hands up
on more shots,” Rubio said.
Liberty threw a multitude of dif-
ferent defensive looks at McNary in
the first quarter, but it didn't faze the
Celtics in the slightest.
A pair of triples by Nepstand and
Photo by MATT RAWLINGS of Keizertimes
Buss gave McNary the 8-4 advantage
early in the first quarter. After a fast-
break bucket from Buss, Rubio got in
on the action with a deep 3-pointer,
which was followed by another triple
by Nepstad to extend the Celtics lead
to 18-11.
“Our intensity was great in the first
half,” Rubio said.
Buss got loose for a transition layup
to end the high-temp first quarter to
put McNary up 24-15.
McNary's half-court attack sputtered
in the second quarter, going more than
Our offense is
what kept us in the
game. We had good
possessions and were
moving the ball well,
especially in the first
half.
— ELIZABETH DORAN
Kylie Nepstad knocked down a pair of shots from beyond the arc.
Photo by MATT RAWLINGS of Keizertimes