In unfortunate fashion, Liberty High School’s boys basketball team took just their third loss of the season to Redmond on Jan. 16, 54-44.

“Redmond is a very good team. But I do wish we could have played a little tougher and more together,” head coach Omar Parker said following the 10-point defeat.

Liberty boys basketball had been off to a historic start in the 2025-26 season so far. The Patriots’ 13-3 record is the best record through 16 games in the history of the school, which opened its doors in 1977.

The Patriots took on an interesting Redmond side that has some marquee wins on its resume this season, and Liberty is now added to that list. The Mustangs had beaten Renton, Kentwood, Issaquah and now Liberty.

“I don’t think we dominated one of our three pillars — guarding, rebounding and get great shots. I don’t think they (Redmond) did either. What I told our guys is, it needs to be clear who dominated those three aspects. It wasn’t clear tonight. It was a close game,” Parker said.

What was disappointing for Parker and his squad was the game got off to such a good start. The Patriots, on the back of Mason Chin, were up 11-2 over the Mustangs and closed out the first quarter leading 20-14.

Chin had 12 first quarter points, but picked up an injury at the start of the second quarter and didn’t return to play. The space he left on the floor was noticeable, and Liberty struggled to find itself in the second and third quarters.

“Mason Chin is arguably, at minimum, equal to our most complete player. Mason guards, rebounds super well and is a huge component for us offensively,” Parker said.

The Patriots’ supporting cast has been one of the main reasons for success this season. Players like Royce Rowe, Connor Mayer and Mason Miller have come in and helped Liberty win a lot of their games alongside their fantastic guard trio of Chin, Whitaker and Tyson Burley.

Elijah Nordland dribbles the ball up the floor for Liberty. Ben Ray / The Reporter

“A lot of focus and attention is put on those three guards. But those other guys that come in and guard and rebound, Royce has scored for us when we needed him at times. We just keep preaching the same thing that has got us to 13-3. There’s no cause for alarm or reinvent the wheel,” Parker said.

But on Friday night, the shots just didn’t fall for anyone. Liberty scored just five points in the second quarter, and an Elijah Nordland three and Jackson Whitaker mid-range jumpshot were the only time the ball went through the net.

Redmond took a 26-25 lead into halftime, and despite the poor second quarter play, Liberty was right in the middle of the game. Parker went into the locker rooms with general positivity and a message that the game was still within reach.

“I felt like we were guarding and rebounding. I didn’t think our shot selection was awful, but we weren’t making any shots,” Parker said. “At the end of the day the ball has to go in.”

In the third quarter, Liberty could only muster seven points as Redmond started to find their groove offensively. The Mustangs are a relentless three-point shooting team and they were starting to connect in the third quarter. Redmond led 33-27 midway through the third and eventually took a 37-32 lead to the fourth quarter.

In that fourth quarter, it was all Whitaker, who finished the game with 19 points. But it was just not enough as Whitaker’s nine fourth quarter points were a mere blip on the radar as the Mustangs outscored Liberty 17-12 in the final frame.

With 1:26 left, Liberty cut the lead to five on a Whitaker mid-range jumper and would be the closest Liberty would get to surviving against Redmond as the Mustangs would go on a 5-0 run after the Patriot timeout.

Liberty now faces Lincoln (Seattle) on Jan. 20 and closes the regular season out against Mount Si at home (Jan. 26) and North Creek on the road (Jan. 31).

“The biggest games are right in front of us. There is the rest of this conference and then it’s playoff city, man. It is going to be fun,” Parker said.