LADY WOLVES: Simple strategy keys Patriots’ tourney win

Liberty High girls basketball coach Quintin Lester didn’t know much about his team’s opponent Monday, so he figured there was little point in making significant adjustments to his typical game plan.

The strategy — or lack thereof — worked to perfection, as the Patriots rolled to a 64-50 win over Boyd County, Ky., in the first round of Gold Division play in the Lady Wolves Holiday Tournament at Basic.

Jade Washington scored 18 points and Amanda Delgado had 17 points and four steals to lead Liberty, which will face Rancho today at 8 a.m.

“All we knew was (Boyd County) had lots of shooters and a big post player,” Lester said. “We made some slight adjustments, but we mostly just prepared to play the game we play.”

Besides a brief one-point deficit in the first quarter, the Patriots led throughout. An 8-0 scoring spurt starting when Washington hit a free throw late in the first quarter put them in command.

Liberty struggled to put the game out of reach, however, as the Lions bounced back each time they appeared buried.

“We’re a team and we all play together,” said Delgado, whose squad hit 13 of its 14 free-throw attempts in the fourth quarter. “We just knew we were going to have to hustle after the ball, get some steals and stay focused and calm.”

The Patriots achieved each of those goals, especially after seeing a 45-31 lead shrink to seven points when Boyd County’s Courtney Moore nailed a 3-pointer midway through the fourth quarter.

Delgado answered by hitting two free throws with 2:39 remaining to ignite a 9-0 Liberty run. Her fast-break layup with 1:05 left completed the spurt and put the game out of reach at 64-48 with 1:05 to go.

“We just stuck to what we were trying to accomplish,” said Lester, whose team logged 19 steals. “We continued with our defensive pressure, and I think our speed caused them some problems.”

Delgado said the Patriots’ resiliency proved they should be considered a serious contender for the tournament championship.

“This game showed that when we stay focused, we can do whatever it takes to get through walls,” said Delgado, who scored 10 of her 17 points in the second half. “We’ll jump around it, go over it or do whatever we need to do.”

Alena Evans helped Liberty with 16 points, seven rebounds and six steals. Teammate Destiny Whitehead had seven points and six steals.

Moore scored 12 of her 15 points in the second half to lead Boyd County.

Pleasant Grove (Calif.) 53, Rancho 18 — The Vikings jumped to a 25-9 halftime lead, and the Rams were unable to answer.

Tyricia Payne led Rancho with nine points.

San Clemente (Calif.) 38, Foothill 37 — The Falcons fell short despite a late rally.

Cheryl Harless scored 13 points to lead Foothill, which outscored San Clemente 13-9 in the fourth quarter.

Denver East (Colo.) 61, Las Vegas 39 — Denver East took over early and the Wildcats were unable to respond.

Shomari Harris scored 12 points to lead Las Vegas, which trailed 28-14 at halftime.

Faith Lutheran 45, Damonte Ranch 42 — The Crusaders grabbed an early lead and held on for the win.

Kelsey McCourt and Samantha Leonard each scored 12 points to lead Faith Lutheran.

Valley 74, Shadow Ridge 21 — Shayna Porter scored 15 points to lead the Vikings past the Mustangs.

Brianna Johnson added 10 points for Valley, which jumped to a 33-13 halftime lead.

Niki Lawson led Shadow Ridge with nine points.

Desert Oasis 54, Tech 35 — Sammi Tso scored 17 points to lift the Diamondbacks past the Roadrunners.

Tatiana Kearn added 13 points for Desert Oasis.

Adriana Heredia scored a game-high 23 points to lead Tech.

Pueblo East (Colo.) 48, Silverado 41 — Pueblo East jumped to a 27-20 halftime lead and held on for the victory.

Natalie Lainhart scored 14 points to pace Silverado.

Basic 76, Bonanza 40 — Kailai Brantner scored 27 points to help the Wolves roll past the Bengals.

Amandi Silva added 18 points for Basic, which led 39-18 at halftime.

Tranee Jenkins scored 12 points to lead Bonanza, which committed seven turnovers in the game’s first two minutes.

Mt. Eden (Calif.) 69, Spring Valley 30 — Shauna Patterson scored 15 points to lead the Grizzlies, who failed to recover after being held to 11 first-half points.

Marina (Calif.) 35, Boulder City 29 — The Eagles fell behind early and never recovered.

Karlee Koopman scored a game-high 11 points to lead Boulder City.

Cheyenne 59, Del Sol 52 — Hannah Tatum scored 19 points to help the Desert Shields defeat the Dragons.

Britnee Shaw added 12 points for Cheyenne.

Desiree Orozco led Del Sol with 17 points.