The Liberty Patriots will square off against the Desert Pines Jaguars at 6:30 a.m. on Friday. Liberty knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with 55 points or more in their past 16 contests -- so hopefully Desert Pines likes a good challenge.
Last Friday, Liberty strolled past Las Vegas with points to spare, taking the game 69-52. The win continues a trend for the Patriots in their matchups with the Wildcats: they've now won three in a row.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Liberty to victory, but perhaps none more so than Dante Steward, who went 9 for 16 en route to 22 points and seven rebounds. Another player making a difference was Jalen Parker, who dropped a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards.
Liberty smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive rebounds in ten consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Desert Pines faced Durango in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Friday. Desert Pines put the hurt on Durango with a sharp 77-54 victory. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Jaguars have posted since January 10th.
Desert Pines found their leader in freshman Aaron McMorran, who went 6 of 9 from beyond the arc to rack up 27 points in addition to five rebounds and four steals. The match was McMorran's fourth in a row with at least 15 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Mason Robles, who posted 12 points and seven boards.
Liberty's victory bumped their record up to 13-10. As for Desert Pines, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 9-10.
Liberty was able to grind out a solid victory over Desert Pines in their previous meeting on Wednesday, winning 64-51. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was McMorran, who shot 5-for-8 from downtown and dropped a double-double with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Liberty still be able to contain McMorran? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
