The Liberty High School boys basketball (15-4) knew it had a different type of challenge in the form of Mount Si on Jan. 26 in the Patriots penultimate game of the regular season.
Mount Si (14-4) rolled out a starting five with each and every player taller than 6 feet 2 inches, including 6-10 junior Liam Heide. Liberty has six players listed at heights taller than 6-2 but only Jackson Whitaker and Connor Mayer get serious minutes and they are 6-3 and 6-4 respectively.
Despite the size disadvantage, the Patriots gave the Wildcats all they could handle, but Mount Si left Liberty with a 66-58 win.
With 3 minutes, 36 seconds left in the game, Whitaker hit a three pointer to put the Patriots up 58-56. But Liberty would not score the rest of the way as Mount Si finished on a 10-0 run.
The Patriots took on that challenge well according to head coach Omar Parker.
“I thought we rose to the occasion. I think initially that size, athleticism and physicality was a little overwhelming. But over the course of the game we matched it,” Parker said.
The two sides went shot for shot inside the first five minutes of the game. At the 3:30 mark in the first quarter the two sides were tied at 15-15 and it seemed as if Liberty was going to shoot an extremely high percentage to keep up with Mount Si.
The Wildcats main weapon on offense is 6-7 shooting guard Brady Henning who has been terrorizing defenses in the NPSL just like his brother before him. Henning is willing to put up a shot anywhere on the court whether it’s a 30-foot three-point shot or an acrobatic lay-in off the window.
“They (Mount Si) are very difficult to game plan for us because they go 6-9, 6-8 and 6-7,” Parker said. “So that is going to be a tough matchup anytime. We had a bunch of schematics about doubling the post and stepping in front and taking charges. We did that well in the second half, but we didn’t come out and really be as physical as we could be on the rebounding side in the first half. It’s a pretty tall order, pun intended.”
Henning had 11 first-quarter points and helped bolster Mount Si to a 19-18 lead. However, Henning had just 13 points combined in the next three quarters.
Mount Si is expected to be one of the favorites to win the Class 4A state title and for the Patriots, playing a team like Mount Si this close, showed they can compete at a very high level.
“I told the kids, overall if you have a chance to beat the potential 4A state champ and we make a few more smart plays and a little bit better communication. That sliver of difference in a game like this is so small, that maybe we can beat just about anybody,” Parker said.
Whitaker, the Patriot senior leader, rose to the occasion on Monday night. Whitaker finished with 21 points and was decisive with his playmaking all game. He showed a level of maturity for Parker which is one of the reasons he is one of the best basketball players in Liberty history.
Royce Rowe holds the basketball in his hands. Ben Ray / The Reporter
“Jackson has really matured in a lot of ways. His off ball work, when you’re facing length and size like that, you gotta catch the ball with an advantage. Once he catches it, he’s a tough guard. Another thing he’s done is his midrange game is so strong,” Parker said.
Whitaker, Mason Chin and Tyson Burley all chipped in to keep Mount Si within arms reach. At halftime, Liberty trailed 34-26 and heading to the fourth the margin was just four. But Royce Rowe scored eight second-half points and really made an impact on the defensive side of the floor as well.
“Royce has been one of our most consistent, if not our most consistent players from an effort standpoint. He just works so hard and gives everything he’s got every single night,” Parker said.
Burley finished with 10 points and Chin had 12 points as he starts to get back to full strength after an injury.
Liberty will travel to North Creek and take on the Jaguars in its regular season finale on Jan. 31 before the KingCo Tournament starts on Feb. 4 when the Patriots take on the seventh-seeded Highline Pirates.
