Burrell is clutch for Potomac's boys basketball team

BEALETON -- Potomac coach Keith Honore calls Justin Burrell the general of the Panthers. On Friday, Burrell showed exactly why.

The point guard scored 10 of his 19 points from the free-throw line, including six in the final quarter, leading his Panthers (8-2) to a 66-55 win over the Liberty Eagles (3-3).

"I'm the point guard, so I have to settle it down, get the ball and run the offense," Burrell said. "I think (being called the general) is an accurate compliment. Any point guard needs to be the general of the team. They have to lead the team, get everybody in the right mind-set before the game and through the game."

In Burrell's case, that meant getting the job done from the free-throw line, where the Panthers have struggled at times this sea-son. Against Liberty, Poto-mac looked like foul shots were its specialty, converting 18-of-21 free throws in the second half.

"That's some-thing we've been addressing since the begin-ning of the season," Honore said. "We've had some pretty horrific games from the foul line. It's good to see our kids step up to the line and shoot it with confidence, especially in crucial times."

That was far from the only thing that pleased Honore about the way Potomac finished. In the fourth quar-ter, Liberty struggled with Potomac's pressure, which Honore called the turning point of the game.

"We were able to play so many kids and we were able to pressure for the length of the game," Honore said. "That starts to wear on kids late in the basketball game. We knew (Liberty) could make shots, but it's tough to make shots when you're tired. That's what we were depending on."

The Eagles' turnovers gave the Panthers the lead they needed to put the game in Burrell's hands and force the Eagles to foul. Once they did, they were playing right into Poto-mac's hands.

"He's who we rely on late in the basketball games to finish the games off," Honore said of Burrell. "He usually makes pretty good decisions down the stretch. At the end of the game, it was good to see our kids really look for him. They understand he's an outstanding foul shooter. It was real pleasing as a coach to see the kids play smart."

Playing smart and playing tough defense are part of the identity Honore wants from his Panthers, and he thinks that they're develop-ing that identity exactly the way he wants.

"I really believe our kids are starting to see the benefits of playing harder than your opponent, pressur-ing the basketball for 32 minutes and just staying in people's faces," Honore said.

GIRLS

LIBERTY 46, POTOMAC 40

Amelia Watson's 3-pointer in the final minutes sealed the game for host Liberty, overshadowing 14 points from Potomac's Quiana Kizer. The loss dropped the Panthers to 3-7, but coach Mike Wilson isn't concerned with the record.

"We'll be fine," Wilson said. "We went into the playoffs last year with 10 losses. We're just looking to get all our girls back and healthy, then we'll start doing some more damage like we did last year."

Wilson said that he thought his team could have played smarter against the Eagles, but that it also has time to correct that.

"The record doesn't mean a thing," Wilson said. "When the real season (district play) starts, we'll start to get seri-ous and focused and start playing better."

BOYS

POTOMAC 66, LIBERTY 55

Potomac (8-2): Cornwell 0 5-7, 5, Pringle 2, 4-4, 9, Gilliam 5, 0-1, 10, Asiedu 1, 0-0, 2, Burrell 4, 10-12, 19, Good-win 2, 2-2, 6, Shedrick 6, 0-0, 13, Reed 1, 0-0, 2

Totals: 21, 21-26, 66

Liberty (3-3) Massei 0, 3-6, 3, Porter 2, 2-2, 6, Ross 2, 3-4, 7, Nettles 2, 0-0, 5, Lee 3, 0-0, 8, Jones 2, 0-0, 5, Yates 5, 2-3, 13, Washington 1, 0-0, 2, Johnson 1, 4-4, 6 To-tals: 18, 14-19, 55

Halftime: Tie, 28-28. 3-point goals: Potomac 3 (Burrell, Pringle, Shedrick), Liberty 5 (Lee 2, Nettles, Jones, Yates)

GIRLS

LIBERTY 46, POTOMAC 40

Potomac (3-7): Jacobs 3, 5-8, 11, Chukwu 2, 0-0, 4, Kizer 4, 5-8, 14, Haynes 3, 0-0, 6, Harris 1, 1-2, 3, Tier-ney 1, 0-1, 2 Totals: 14, 11-19, 40

Liberty: Malik 2, 0-0, 5, Reeves 0, 1-2, 1, Watson 3, 3-4, 11, Gwathmey 5, 0-1, 11, Wood 7, 1-4, 15, Clay-brooks 0, 1-2, 1, Lindsay 1, 0-0, 2 Totals: 18, 6-13, 46