The Mounties started the season 3-5 with wins over Montgomery (8-14), Wyalusing (5-17) and Canton (8-14) before going 8-5 to finish the regular season 11-10 and earning the No. 2 seed and a first-round win in the District 4 Class A playoffs. 

“We had a great season,” says Mattison, “Especially for having an all new starting five. Our inexperience and being nervous got the best of us to start the season, but as the regular season went on, I believe we overcame that much earlier in games and in the second half of the season the scorebook showed that.”

NP-Liberty’s second-half wins included a 45-43 upset of then 9-4 Wellsboro.

“That was the first time I’ve seen the guys play with confidence and believe in themselves,” says Mattison of the Wellsboro win. 

The Mounties responded to setbacks well throughout the season, as eight of their wins came following a loss.

“There were some games we should have won but we couldn’t close out,” says Mattison, “But everyone showed up the next night at practice ready to work that much harder. I’m proud of the guys as they kept improving throughout the season.”

Liberty’s five new starters .. seniors Daniel Harman and Carter Grinnell, juniors Louis Mercantino, Adynn Wheeland and Blake Oakley .. and their 6th-man, sophomore Luke Kreger .. spread the ball around on offense, resulting in a balanced scoring sheet most nights. 

All six Mounties led the team in scoring at least once during the season, with Mercantino leading the way at 12.4 points per game with 55 3-pointers. 

“Louis Mercantino takes pride in his shooting,” says Mattison, “He led the league in 3-pointers .. and we rely on him to get three or four a night. He’s learning how to attack the basket more too.”

Wheeland (9.3), Kreger (8.6), Oakley (7.9), Harman (6.4) and Grinnell (5.8) rounded out the Mounties’ scoring, with sophomore Evan McTish chipping in 3 points per game after returning to the rotation in the second half of the season following an off-season injury. 

“Adynn (Wheeland) has worked his butt off to become a better shooter,” says Mattison, “and he also attacks the basket with a purpose. He’s a great defensive player and he’s always going to give you 110%.”

Of 6th-man Kreger, Mattison says, “Luke  played that role so well all season long. It’s not easy being the 6th man with his kind of talent. He’s a well rounded player and he really came up big in the Wellsboro win.” And of defensive specialist Oakley .. “Blake is a great defensive threat. He can really get off his feet and block shots and he’s super smart on the defensive end .. he gets himself in the passing lanes and gets alot of steals. His offensive end is a work in progress but in the second half of the season, not only did he shoot the ball better from the field but his free throw percentage increased as well.”

Mattison is thankful to have had his lone seniors .. Grinnell and Harman .. in his first year as the varsity head coach.

“Both of our seniors .. Carter (Grinnell) and Dan (Harman) did an excellent job,” says Mattison, “When I started coaching JV, they were freshman so I got to see them through. They both do a lot that doesn’t show up in the scorebook or stat sheets. Carter is a pest on defense and Dan may be the best screener in the league .. he isn’t afraid to get physical and for being a small ‘big’, he boxed out better than most.”

The Mounties put together their longest winning streak of the year at the end of the regular season, sandwiching a pair of wins over Williamson (2-19) and Towanda (5-17) around a 7-point win over Northeast Bradford (16-6), in their third match-up with the small school champs on the year. 

“NEB beat us by 27 at the Montgomery Tournament and then we lost to them at their place by one on a buzzer beater,” says Mattison, “We were pumped up and ready to go when we got another chance in our gym on senior night and we took care of business that evening.”

The Mounties hosted No. 7 seed Sullivan County (9-13) in Districts, beating the Griffins 56-48 to advance to the semifinals where they’d fall to Galeton (10-12), followed by a season-ending loss to No. 1 seed Norry Christian (13-5). But Mattison is excited to see how the experience will benefit his returners next season. 

“Getting a win in the playoffs with guys who don’t have any playoff experience is huge for us moving forward,” says Mattison.

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