February 14, 2012 <\/p>\n
By Christina Lords <\/p>\n
Delane Agnew, Liberty High School junior forward, lies sprawled on the floor but still tries to deny a rebound to Bellevue sophomore forward Holly Warendorf during the third quarter for the 3A KingCo Championship Feb. 9 at Bellevue College. By Greg Farrar <\/p>\n
Liberty High School girls basketball coach Randy Leifer admits his team had an abysmal first half as they battled in the KingCo Conference 3A championship game Feb. 9 at Bellevue College. <\/p>\n
It certainly didn\u2019t help that the Bellevue Wolverines came out strong at both ends of the court, solidifying a 54-36 win over the Patriots. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey were putting a lot of pressure on us, on our defense,\u201d he said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t take very good care of the basketball, and we settled for quick offensive shots.\u201d <\/p>\n
The Wolverines came into the tournament in the No. 4 slot and managed to overtake the Patriots with an 11-5 first-quarter lead. Bellevue boasted a 22-7 lead at halftime. <\/p>\n
\u201cThey were able to get to the hoop a lot more than we did, and when they did, they shot the ball really well,\u201d Leifer said. <\/p>\n
The Wolverines\u2019 defense held Liberty\u2019s top scorers, Aspen Winegar and Sierra Carlson, to a combined 11 points. No Patriot scored in double figures \u2014 a situation the Patriots haven\u2019t faced since the last time they took on Bellevue. Liberty dropped that game, 47-27, on Jan. 28. <\/p>\n
Liberty only had four offensive rebounds for the night. <\/p>\n
Leifer said he is proud of the success of the Patriots\u2019 season and knew early in the year that the team had a shot at playing for the KingCo title. <\/p>\n
\u201cI thought we definitely had a chance, where we had several returning pieces from last year,\u201d he said. \u201cWe lost some of our players, obviously, but we had three starters coming back, and I knew we had a shot at being there.\u201d <\/p>\n
Megan Tsutakawa led Liberty against the Wildcats with eight points. Winegar had six points, while Carlson added five points. <\/p>\n
Bellevue\u2019s Katie Savard contributed a game-high 13 points for the Wolverines. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Patriots stun Lake Washington <\/p>\n
Two of the Patriots\u2019 most-important games of the season came earlier in the week. <\/p>\n
On Feb. 7, Winegar and Carlson hit clutch fourth-quarter shots as the Patriots upset second-seeded Lake Washington, 42-41. Lake Washington led 32-26 going into the final quarter. However, Liberty outscored the Kangaroos down the stretch to pull out the victory. Winegar hit a key 3-point field goal and Carlson followed with a game-winning basket to cap the Patriots\u2019 rally. <\/p>\n
Winegar finished with a game-high 13 points and Carlson had 11 points. <\/p>\n
On Feb. 6, Liberty earned a berth to the Class 3A Sea-King District when it defeated visiting Mercer Island, 60-40, in a first-round, loser-out KingCo game. <\/p>\n
Liberty bolted to a 20-7 first-quarter lead and held a commanding 42-18 advantage at halftime. <\/p>\n
Winegar led the Patriots with 16 points and Carlson had 13 points. <\/p>\n
Christina Lords: 392-6434, ext. 239, or newcastle@isspress.com<\/a>. Comment at http:\/\/www.issaquahpress.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n Written by Christina Lords \u00b7 Filed Under Sports, Sports News <\/p>\n Copyright 2011 by Issaquah Press Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, rewritten or redistributed without permission. E-mail editor@isspress.com<\/a> <\/p>\n Comments<\/p>\n Read more: February 14, 2012 By Christina Lords Delane Agnew, Liberty High School junior forward, lies sprawled on the floor but still tries to deny a rebound to Bellevue sophomore forward Holly Warendorf during the third quarter for the 3A KingCo Championship Feb. 9 at Bellevue College. Continue reading
\nLiberty girls drop KingCo title game<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"