Liberty girls basketball team’s hot start continues

For a second straight season, the Liberty High School Patriots girls basketball team have shot out of a cannon to start the season.

Last year, coach Travis Whitaker’s squad went 7-0 to start the season and they are following that up this year with a 5-0 start after defeating the Juanita Ravens, 65-47, on Dec. 11 at home.

“I feel like we are pretty hyped. We are ready for the next games coming up, including the Hazen game,” senior Addison Tran said.

Since 1988, no Liberty team has ever started two seasons better than these last two Patriot teams. Previous undefeated starts in consecutive seasons happened twice for Liberty: in 1988 and 1989 they won three straight to start, and three straight again in 2004 and 2005.

The only other time Liberty started hotter was 2011, where they won seven straight games. That team lost to Juanita in the district tournament.

This year’s team even encountered some adversity from the jump, missing a week of practices because of the bomb cyclone in late November.

“Having the seniors that we do and the ingrained knowledge of what we want to get done really helped expedite things,” Whitaker said.

Heading into the game against Juanita, Whitaker believed it was going to be a competitive game. The Ravens eliminated the Patriots in the postseason last season despite Liberty sweeping Juanita in the regular season.

“We had this one circled as a big early game for us in tier play. They are a tough opponent and the girls played awesome right from the start,” Whitaker said.

But a close game this was not, and after the first quarter, it was clear Liberty was the better side. At the end of the first quarter, Liberty led 20-6, and Juanita made just two shots from the floor.

“I think we were locked in defensively from the beginning. We were making sure we were getting every single rebound we could and that was really key to our success,” Tran said.

When the game seemed like it couldn’t get much better from a Liberty perspective, they held Juanita to seven points in the second quarter. Ella Whitaker, Addison Tran and Aleah Tran combined for 11 points and increased the halftime lead to 37-13 for the Patriots.

“We talk all the time about letting the defense create our offense. I challenged them that we needed to be locked in and focused on the defensive end of the court … I could see from the beginning that our box outs were excellent, defensive close outs were good … They just did an awesome job,” Whitaker said.

Seeing the Tran sisters taking the floor together this season is an excitement for Whitaker, who has seen them grow up into the basketball players they are today.

“They are a very fun family. We have known them since the third grade… Both those kids are playmakers… The two of them together are a dynamic duo in the backcourt,” said Whitaker.

The Tran sisters combined for 21 points in the win. For Tran, having the ability to take the floor with her sister is a feeling like no other.

“It’s pretty awesome. I get to pass to her, we get off and go to the bench at the same time. It’s fun to have a family member on the sideline with me,” Tran said.

In the third quarter, the Patriots starting working more of a rotation. Then seemingly out of nowhere, senior Luci Lujan scored six straight points for Liberty. The Patriots had eight different players record points in the win, and that depth is going to come into play for the Patriots, who have their eyes on a postseason run.

“We talk about when your number is called, be ready for your opportunities and be aggressive with them. We try to instill in all the girls, when we create the right shots, it doesn’t matter who takes the shot… Everybody who came in was aggressive and ready,” Whitaker said.

The Patriots go as Ella Whitaker goes — she has taken on a more leadership role this season for the Patriots as she starts her senior season after signing to play college ball at Northwest University.

“There is a calmness to her game … Her best trait is she has always been a winner and is willing to do whatever it takes to do that,” Whitaker said about his daughter.

Her teammates even recognize the steps she has taken to be a leader. “Ever since my sophomore year, I looked toward Ella as a strong leader. She’s very grounded and stable and points out what we need to do. Ever since then, she has grown as a leader and has been able to lead the whole team,” Tran said on her teammate.

Whitaker and Tran in partnership with Kyndall Tokish and Chelsea Irvine all are seniors and in the starting five. The four of them have lofty goals this season, and with the supporting cast, they are aiming high.

“They’ve been though the challenges, they’ve been through the battles. The fact they have came up together helps. They are trying to make a run at it, and have big goals and I think they are capable of doing it,” Whitaker said.