The Liberty Patriots suffered their closest loss yet this season on Wednesday. They fell just short of Hazen by a score of 35-32. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Liberty has scored all season.
When it comes to explaining why Liberty lost, one person who can't be blamed is Ella Whitaker. Despite the final result, she dropped a double-double on 18 points and 17 rebounds. Whitaker also posted two blocks for the first time this season. Another player making a difference was Chelsea Irvine, who scored five points along with six rebounds and two steals.
Even though they lost, Liberty smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hazen only pulled down ten offensive rebounds.
Dakota Nap was her usual excellent self, scoring seven points along with 13 rebounds and six assists for Hazen. Nap hasn't dropped below two steals for five straight games. India Andrews was another key contributor, scoring 12 points.
Liberty's defeat was their third straight on the road, which bumped their record down to 10-5. As for Hazen, the victory (which was their fourth in a row) raised their record to 8-7.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Liberty will square off against Interlake at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Interlake will have to bring their A-game into this one, as they are staring down a pretty big deficit in the MaxPreps Washington Rankings (they are ranked 238th, while Liberty is ranked 55th). As for Hazen, they will head out on the road to take on Juanita at 5:40 p.m. on Friday.
