Basketball Game Preview: Desert Pines Jaguars vs. Liberty Patriots

The Desert Pines Jaguars will head out on the road to challenge the Liberty Patriots at 6:30 a.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Desert Pines is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nevada's top teams: Durango, who was ranked 22nd at the time (Desert Pines was ranked 18th). Everything went Desert Pines' way against Durango on Friday as Desert Pines made off with a 77-54 win. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Jaguars have posted since January 10th.

Aaron McMorran

Points

02/07/25 @ Durango	27
02/05/25 @ Liberty	22
02/04/25 vs Las Vegas	15
01/30/25 @ Arbor View	22

Aaron McMorran was his usual excellent self, going 6 for 9 from beyond the arc on his way to 27 points along with five boards and four steals. His evening made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Mason Robles, who posted 12 points and seven rebounds.

Desert Pines was working as a unit and finished the game with 20 assists. That's the most assists they've posted since back in December of 2023.

Meanwhile, Liberty waltzed into their contest on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They enjoyed a cozy 69-52 win over the Wildcats.

Liberty's win came from a few key players Desert Pines will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Dante Steward, who went 9 of 16 to rack up 22 points and seven boards. Jalen Parker was another key player, dropping a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Desert Pines' victory bumped their record up to 9-10. As for Liberty, their win bumped their record up to 13-10.

Desert Pines came up short against Liberty in their previous meeting on Wednesday, falling 64-51. Can Desert Pines avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.