Two dominant guards in Jaden Riley and Zak Abdalla are getting ready to go toe-to-toe. The Liberty Patriots will head out on the road to square off against the Foothill Falcons at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Liberty is looking to tack on another W to their three-game streak on the road.
Last Monday, Liberty faced the Cougars in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Liberty took a 60-49 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Cougars. The result shouldn't come as a shock considering that's the fewest points Liberty has scored all season.
Despite their defeat, Liberty saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Tyus Thomas, who scored 12 points, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Tyler Bright, who scored nine points along with seven rebounds and two steals.
Meanwhile, Foothill entered their tilt with the Trailblazers with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. Foothill put the hurt on the Trailblazers with a sharp 61-37 win on Monday. Given Foothill's advantage in MaxPreps' Nevada basketball rankings (they are ranked sixth, while the Trailblazers are ranked 55th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Foothill's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Christopher Natale jr, who scored 19 points along with three steals, and Abdalla, who scored 20 points along with eight assists and six rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Natale jr has scored all season. Another player making a difference was Shawn Salazar, who scored seven points along with three steals.
Liberty's loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 15-2. As for Foothill, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests, which provided a nice bump to their 14-8 record this season.
Thursday's match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Liberty have been dynamite from deep this season, having made 41.5% of their threes per game. However, it's not like Foothill struggles in that department as they've made 44.5% of their threes this season. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Liberty was able to grind out a solid victory over the Falcons in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, winning 68-57. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Foothill's Jay Haylock, who scored 13 points along with six assists and six rebounds. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be that much easier for Liberty to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
