A free-throw fundraiser last weekend ended up being more helpful than Coronado had anticipated.

The Cougars went 21-of-24 from the line in Thursday’s second half and rallied to beat host Liberty 69-55.

Check out more photos from the game.

“We each had to shoot 200 free throws as part of this fundraiser,” senior Ben Foley said. “It was fun, but it definitely was useful tonight.”

Foley finished with a game-high 31 points, pushing Coronado (8-8) back after it fell behind by more than 10 points for most of the first half. Some halftime adjustments helped the Cougars defense and their offense finally started to click.

“In the first half, we were really kind of letting Wes (McKenzie) get away with whatever he wanted,” Foley said. “We noticed they were switching around (between players) on coverage, so we kind of went into a power offense to try to get everyone up front.”

McKenzie, who was good for seven first-half points, ran into foul trouble in the second half.

“Wes has a really hard-pressing, aggressive style, and when he started getting a lot of fouls, it changed things,” Liberty assistant Roy Vieux said. “We have a run style out there, and the guys worked very hard tonight.”

Vieux was filling in for coach Jim Masterson, who was unable to attend the game.

Liberty (6-9) set the pace early, jumping to a 16-6 first-quarter lead as guard T.J. Holt scored 10 points.

It was a layup from Jason Lemmon that put Coronado up 37-36 – its first lead – with less than 3 minutes left in the third quarter.

“When we came back in the third and went hard to the basket, that was when we started to take control,” Coronado coach Brian Blanc said. “We needed better help side on McKenzie and we had to be more methodical with the basketball. As soon as we got those things, it started to fall into place a little more.”  

With the score tied 41-41 with 6:50 to play, Foley took control. He scored 10 points down the stretch as the Cougars outscored the Lancers 30-14 in the final quarter.

Coronado’s Brian Kelpin (22) and Liberty’s T.J. Holt chase down a loose ball Thursday, Jan. 28, 2010, at Liberty High School. Photo by KEVIN KRECK, THE GAZETTE