Basic overcomes slow start, earns win at Liberty
Trailing by two touchdowns on the road against an inspired team in its homecoming game. That was the unenviable spot Basic got into early in its Southeast League showdown at Liberty on Friday night.
But the ninth-ranked Wolves didn’t shrink from the challenge. Rather, they responded with a vengeance, reeling off 28 unanswered points to take control and win, 44-33.
“We had a slow start, but it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish,” Basic quarterback Robby Faiman said. “We came out in the second half and did what we wanted to do.”
After falling behind 13-0 on two touchdowns by Liberty running back Shawn Murray, who finished with 234 yards rushing, the Wolves (5-1, 3-0 Southeast) hit the comeback trail.
They slipped ahead 14-13 at halftime, then made it 28-13 by scoring on their first two possessions of the second half.
Faiman, who ran for 137 yards and two touchdowns, also passed for three scores, all to Justin Burdno. Their first scoring hook-up, a 4-yarder on fourth-and-3, gave Basic a 21-13 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, Basic’s Jared Darnell forced a fumble by Murray and the Wolves recovered deep in Patriots territory. Faiman scored on the next play, sprinting around left end for 25 yards.
“The big play was when Jared Darnell made (Murray) fumble,” Basic coach Jeff Cahill said. “We got the ball, scored again and got up two scores, and that was tough for them.”
Sage Nua ran in from 4 yards to lift Liberty within 31-26 early in the fourth quarter. But Basic quickly regained control when Burdno took a short pass from Faiman and turned it into a 56-yard score.
“It’s a huge win for us,” Cahill said. “We knew Liberty would be tough and they were tough. It’s really great to get a victory on their field and get halfway through the (league) undefeated. We’re getting better and better every week.”
Murray put Liberty ahead 13-0, running for touchdowns of 25 and 68 yards.
“We played hard, but we should’ve come out harder,” Murray said. “They were the better team tonight.”
Charles Phillips rushed for 102 yards and scored Basic’s first TD on a 15-yard run late in the first quarter. Faiman’s 50-yard sprint in the second quarter gave the Wolves a lead they wouldn’t give up.