Liberty girls feel they’re prepared for a special season

By Case Keefer (contact)

Monday, Dec. 6, 2010 | 2:05 a.m.

The Liberty girls basketball team dealt with something unfamiliar this preseason — extremely high expectations.

After winning the Sunrise Region championship last year and advancing to the state tournament, many are pointing to the Patriots as one of the best teams in the area and possible state championship contenders.

“We haven’t arrived yet,” said Liberty coach Quintin Lester. “We won our division and our region, but that was the first time. Now, we’re going to get everyone’s A-game.”

The question is whether opponents’ A-games will be enough against a loaded roster highlighted by Oregon-commit Amanda Delgado.

Delgado, a guard and member of the Sun Super Seven, averaged 17 points as a junior last year and made the All-State team.

“She’s metaphorical for our whole group,” Lester said. “Our whole group has a high basketball IQ. They play well together and they make good decisions.”

Fellow senior team leader Jade Washington, a forward, will complement Delgado. Lester called Washington the team’s best defender.

The Patriots will also look for offensive production from junior forward Chanel Nacua and senior point guard Destiny Whitehead.

“Destiny can score with the best of them,” Lester said. “She has a very good all-around game.”

Liberty returns almost everyone from last year’s team that went 24-5. It was the best year in school history.

“(The expectations) were kind of expected with the year we had last year,” Lester said. “But at the same time, we have high expectations for ourselves. We try to execute what we do and try to develop our strengths and eliminate our weaknesses.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.