That all changed with 30.5 seconds left in the contest, when senior Savannah Dodrill knocked down a pair of free throws to give Champion its first lead of the game.

A few moments later, fellow senior Emma Gumont scored on a layup after a steal to boost the lead to four points, and the final icing on the cake was a layup by Brook Whitt after Liberty failed to score on its last possession of the game.

When the final buzzer rang, there was both relief and celebration by the visiting Golden Flashes, who trailed by as many as 13 during the second half in a 57-51 victory.

Champion coach Michael Cole said his upperclassmen had a major role to play in their victory.

Correspondent photo / Robert Hayes Cianna Smith, right, of Liberty shoots a 3-pointer during the first quarter in the Leopards’ 57-51 loss at home to Champion.

“Veteran leadership,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of multi-year starters on varsity, (and) we talked about that at the beginning. We knew they (the Leopards) were going to come out with great energy.

“I said you’re probably going to get down a little bit at first. That’s what happened — they jumped on us quick. They’re an athletic team, and they play emotional, too. I just reminded them before the game about the Howland game. We got down big quick, we were calm, we’ve been there before, and we battled back, and the same thing tonight.”

The Leopards (12-3) started off firing on all cylinders as they when on a 9-0 run to start the game, with five of those points coming from freshman Cianna Smith. Liberty held a 13-9 advantage after the first 8 minutes of the game.

The Leopards expanded their lead to 23-14 by halftime and led 33-20 midway through the third quarter. Champion (13-2) began chipping away at the deficit, with Gumont playing a big part in the Golden Flashes’ comeback.

She had a game-high 32 points, with 16 of those points coming from the foul-line.

“We’ve been talking about this game ever since the beginning of the season,” Gumont said. “We weren’t going to have to change anything. We just come out, and play our game and work as a team.

“I think beating Liberty is a huge confidence (booster) for us, and I think that this is really going to help us carry on till our season’s end.”

Cole had a game-plan that helped Gumont record steals.

“Well, we never play her high in our press and zone, but due to injuries and people moving around, we started,” he said. “We put her in the back on the press because she anticipates so well, but actually having her on that wing spot, she’s gotten some moments in games were she’s really stretched out.

“She’s so quick and long, that if there’s any passes that are lobby, she’s usually out there getting them. She got a pretty good one late in the game.”

Liberty had a few chances to establish a multiple-possession lead in the final minutes, but offensive fouls and turnovers helped give Champion the opportunity to tie and eventually take the lead.

Gumont wasn’t the only Golden Flash in double-figures for scoring. She was joined by Whitt who had 11 points.

Meanwhile, the Leopards were down a few players, but Liberty coach Deidre Watson felt that her team battled regardless.

“It was a hard-fought game by both parties, (but) we got into foul trouble,” she said. “With our bench being a little bit short, we weren’t able to pull out the win.

“But we played a good game. Both teams played a good game. It was a good battle.”

A pair of Leopards did end up in double-figures scoring wise with senior Sharda Williamson leading the way with 21 points. Freshman Demi Watson had 17.