EARL WATT
• Leader & Times
Liberal and Hooker, Okla., have played memorable games in the last several years, and Tuesday night’s match-up was another back-and-forth battle to the newfound rivalry. The Lady Redskins came away with the victory after a strong fourth quarter led to a 54-47 win.
The two battled early with the Lady Bulldogs taking a 10-9 lead after the first quarter.
The defensive struggle continued in the second quarter, and the two teams headed to halftime in a 22-22 draw.
Hooker jumped out to a 30-24 lead early in the second half, before Kamilah Hidalgo and Shamari Lewis combined for the next six points for a tie, and a three from Zoey Torres and a basket from Kiley Rhine completed an 11-0 run that gave the Lady Redskins a 35-30 lead.
But Hooker battled back to a 41-41 tie in the first two minutes of the fourth quarter before Maliyah Mullens scored four straight points followed by four more for Lewis, and the Lady Redskins opened a 49-41 lead with 2:40 to play.
Hooker cut the lead to 49-46 with 1:25 to play, but the Lady Redskins hit five of six free throws down the stretch to secure the 54-47 win.
Lewis scored 24 points to lead Liberal, and Delgado had 11.
“We know Hooker is fundamentally sound, super physical, and they are disciplined on the glass and blocking out,” Liberal coach Brandi Fowler said. “We knew they would hold the ball for long possessions. They did. We faced some adversity, but our girls showed some integrity and used the press to speed them up.”
The Lady Redskins are 10-5 and currently fifth in Class 6A West standings. They travel to Great Bend Friday.
