By Mark Trible
FauquierNow.com Sports Editor

Liberty boys basketball guard Xavier Colbert took the ball and raced up the court. With one Fauquier defender between him and the basket, Colbert drove to the foul line.

Xavier Colbert

When the defender stepped up to stop him, Colbert dished the ball to forward Nick Ramos for an easy layup. The bucket gave Liberty a 29-12 lead early in the second quarter.

As Colbert turned to run back on defense, he caught eyes with a spectator in the Fauquier crowd.

“Let’s go!” he yelled.

The play was a microcosm of Liberty’s offensive explosion in a 77-70 win over Fauquier Saturday afternoon at Brentsville. Colbert’s statement foreshadowed the aftermath of the one-game playoff for the Evergreen District regular season title.

With Saturday’s win, Liberty will return to the regional tournament.

Fauquier and Liberty entered Saturday’s playoff with 7-1 district records.

The Eagles built a lead as large as 19 points in the first half and led by 18 with less than a minute remaining.

However, Fauquier fought back with two three-pointers to close the first half and narrow Liberty’s halftime lead to 40-28.

The Falcons trailed by the same margin at the end of the third quarter, 58-46.

In the final period, Fauquier guards Caleb Lantz, Darius Stanford and Dillon Tapscott nearly brought the Falcons back.

The trio combined for 23 points in the quarter.

“We fought our way back into it,” Tapscott said. “We try to leave it all on the floor, and this is a big game. Our seniors, our leaders and our coaches just told us, ‘Don’t quit’.”

With three minutes to play, Stanford hit two free throws to cut Liberty’s lead to 65-61.

Liberty forward Ryan Ramirez made four free throws on consecutive possessions to double the lead to 69-61. After Tapscott hit a three-point bucket to get the lead back down to five, Ramirez came through again.

Ramirez made an open layup with 1:32 remaining to give Liberty a seven-point lead and all the breathing room the Eagles would need.

The senior forward finished with a game-high 32 points on 12-of-14 shooting from the field and 8-for-8 shooting from the free throw line. He also chipped in 10 rebounds for the Eagles.

All season, Ramirez has found open spots around the basket for Liberty. With guards Aaron Patterson and Xavier Colbert driving to the lane, defenders often collapse and leave Ramirez alone.

Saturday, he made Fauquier pay down low. Falcon Coach Wayne Brizzi is used to Ramirez’ strong play when the two rivals meet.

“He’s always hurt us in the past,” Brizzi said. “He’s a good player and a tough matchup for us.”
Colbert and Patterson finished the game with six assists each. Ramirez credited them and Coach Pat Frazer for his success.

“It’s all about the passes,” he said. “We run our sets and they’re working; it’s a great feeling to win districts. Fauquier is such a good team and it’s always a close game.”

Liberty shared the Evergreen District regular season title in 2010. This season’s title marks the third consecutive championship for the Eagles.

“It’s a relief to know we’re in (regionals),” Frazer said. “Now we’ve gotta win on our home floor.”

Liberty improved to 15-5 overall. Fauquier is 12-10.

Liberty will host Brentsville and Fauquier will entertain Warren County in the Evergreen District tournament opening round Wednesday night at 7. The winners will advance to play Friday night for the district championship hosted by the higher-seeded team.

> Sign up for e-mail news alerts from FauquierNow.com

> “Like” FauquierNow.com on Facebook