Liberty boys basketball knocked out by Eastside Catholic in state tournament

Published 12:45 pm Thursday, March 5, 2026

It was a rematch of a district quarterfinal matchup two weeks prior for the Liberty High School boy’s basketball team as the Patriots (21-7) took on Eastside Catholic (18-8) in the round of 12.

Liberty couldn’t find an answer to Eastside Catholic and fell 79-70 to the Crusaders on March 4 inside the Tacoma Dome.

“We had a solid game plan and executed it very well and at the very end it was a nine point game. I think Eastside Catholic was scared for a while, early,” head coach Omar Parker said

It wasn’t all tears for senior Jackson Whitaker, who was reminiscent following his final moments in a Patriots uniform.

“I am sad we lost, but I am glad it happened. I have been playing with these guys, Conner (Mayer), Eli (Nordland) and Mason (Chin) since I was in second grade. Wish we would have won, but I am happy with the experience I had,” Whitaker said.

The Patriots acclimated well to the strange shooting environment that is the Tacoma Dome as the Pats shot 8-for-11 from the floor and 15-for-19 in the quarter as a whole.

Liberty had contributions up and down the scorebook — Royce Rowe, Mason Chin and Tyson Burley all made multiple field goals in the first quarter, which helped Liberty take a 24-22 lead at the end of the first quarter.

“Our coaches prepared us really well and had us dialed in for the game plan we knew we had to run. We had to shoot a lot of threes and we got a lot of open shots early,” Whitaker said.

But the hot start was instantly cooled as Liberty would miss its first eight shots of the second quarter, which allowed Eastside Catholic to take a 34-26 lead midway through the second quarter. The first Liberty field goal came from Jackson Whitaker with 3:32 left in the half. Whitaker would go on to score a Patriot team-high 31 points in the loss.

The pitfall of Liberty’s postseason run came in the form of 6-foot-10 Yabi Aklog. The senior center for Eastside Catholic was a force, and possibly played his best game that Parker had seen him play this season. Aklog had 15 first-half points and finished leading the way with 32 for the Crusaders. Liberty’s Connor Mayer was tasked with Aklog most of the game, but with his size and speed combination, Mayer was put in a tough spot.

“He’s an excellent player and presents problems for anyone in the state. We executed our game plan to about 70% to stop him. We were supposed to be double teaming him faster,” Parker said. “That is hands down the best I have seen him play. You gotta give credit where credit is due.”

Liberty cut the Crusaders’ lead from 19 to 9 with 6:00 left in the fourth quarter, but that stop to make it a one possession game never came. The fight never wavered, but the results were just too hard to come by.

“I don’t think we ever felt like we were out of it. They are a very explosive team and super athletic. That was big challenge for us. But when we are shooting the basketball, we are explosive too,” Parker said.

The Liberty seniors combined for 54 of Liberty’s 70 points against Eastside Catholic and the senior group led by Whitaker made their mark for the Patriots this season.

“I am super proud of these guys. They have demonstrated leadership all year long and a huge part of a three-four year run that is one of the best in Liberty history,” Parker said. “They are leaving behind a work ethic, and an example for not only the guys that are in practice every day, but the kids that are in third, fourth and fifth grade. That is super impactful.”

Whitaker was very particular about what he wanted to leave Liberty with after his final game.

“I have been in the program since second grade. I remember the high school guys from when I was younger. I know it’s really important for the kids and I think all of us get the idea we need to be role models for everybody and show out for them,” Whitaker said.

Liberty has now made the round of 12 in back-to-back seasons and has lost in that first round. Liberty will look to make the state tournament for the third time in a row for the first time in school history beginning next November.