Liberty girls blasted by Bellevue in KingCo title game
February 10, 2012
NEW — 11 a.m. Feb. 10, 2012
The Liberty High School girls basketball team fell into a hole early Thursday and never climbed out as the Patriots lost to Bellevue 54-36 in the KingCo Conference 3A title game at Bellevue College.
Bellevue, which entered the tournament seeded No. 4, shot to a 11-5 first-quarter lead and stretched its advantage to 15 points by halftime.
The Wolverines’ defense held Liberty’s top scorers Aspen Winegar and Sierra Carlson to 11 points. No Patriot scored in double figures. Megan Tsutakawa led Liberty with eight points. Winegar had six points and Carlson five points.
Bellevue’s Katie Savard led all players with 13 points.
Liberty, 16-7, will advance to the 3A Sea-King District Tournament.
Issaquah, Skyline girls basketball teams reach semifinals
February 9, 2012
NEW — 10 a.m. Feb. 9, 2012
The Issaquah and Skyline High School girls basketball teams are moving on to the semifinals of the KingCo Conference 4A Tournament after both teams won their Wednesday first-round games.
Issaquah routed visiting Roosevelt 76-40 while Skyline topped visiting Garfield 55-47.
On Saturday, Issaquah plays Crown Division champion Woodinville at 6:30 p.m. at Juanita High School. Skyline plays rival Eastlake at 8:15 p.m. at Juanita. The semifinal winners earn berths to the Class 4A regionals.
Twelve players scored for Issaquah, which made quick work of Roosevelt, the No. 3 Crown Division entry. Issaquah’s Mackenzie Wieburg scored a game-high 22 points. Mandie Hill added 12 points. Monica Landdeck contributed nine points and Aimee Brakken had eight points as Issaquah, the Crest Division No. 2 team, went to 16-5 on the season.
Liberty girls shock Lake Washington to reach KingCo title game
February 8, 2012
NEW — 2:30 p.m. Feb. 8, 2012
Aspen Winegar and Sierra Carlson hit clutch fourth-quarter shots Tuesday as they led the Liberty High School girls basketball team to a 42-41 upset victory against second-seeded Lake Washington in the KingCo Conference 3A tournament semifinals at Bellevue College.
Liberty, 16-6, will meet Bellevue at 8:15 p.m. Thursday for the KingCo title at Bellevue College. Bellevue surprised Juanita, the regular-season league champion, 52-50 in overtime in the other semifinal.
The Patriots had lost twice to Lake Washington during the regular season. Although Liberty got off to a promising start in the third meeting by shooting to a 17-10 first-quarter lead, the Patriots had to battle from behind to pull out the upset.
Lake Washington led 23-22 at halftime and held 32-26 lead going into the final quarter. Liberty outscored Lake Washington 16-9 in the final period.
Eagles achieve goal of winning wrestling KingCo Conference 4A tournament title
February 7, 2012
Issaquah High School wrestlers, coaches and team managers howl as they pose for photos after winning the KingCo 4A Tournament team championship Feb. 4. Winning this title with these athletes during wrestling's 50th anniversary at Issaquah 'is something I'll always remember,' said coach Kirk Hyatt (kneeling second from left).By Greg Farrar
Issaquah High School wrestling coach Kirk Hyatt had a hunch entering this season that his team had championship talent.
Eagles’ girls team takes second place in Crest
February 7, 2012
Issaquah finished second in the Crest Division Feb. 4, when the Eagles defeated host Newport, 62-40.
The Eagles shot to a 17-7 first quarter lead and steadily pulled away for the victory. Norton scored a game-high 13 points for the Eagles. Aimee Brakken and Mandie Hill each had nine points for Issaquah.
On Feb. 2, Issaquah cruised by Ballard, 60-30, in the Eagles’ home finale.
Issaquah went up by eight points in the first quarter and held a commanding 28-15 halftime advantage. Hill led all players with 11 points. Quincey Gibson and Monica Landdeck each had 10 points.
Issaquah finished league play with a 10-4 record, one game behind first-place Skyline and one game ahead of third-place Eastlake.
The Eagles, 15-5 overall, host Roosevelt at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8 in the first round of the KingCo tournament.
Skyline girls basketball team takes KingCo Crest title
February 7, 2012
The Skyline High School girls basketball team captured the KingCo Conference 4A Crest Division title Feb. 3 by breezing past visiting Bothell, 66-17.
Skyline finished league play with an 11-3 record. The Spartans, 14-6 overall, host Garfield at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8 in the opening round of the KingCo 4A tournament.
The Spartans, who had been battling Issaquah and Eastlake for the top spot, needed a victory against Bothell to secure the division title. There was little doubt about the outcome when the Spartans raced off to a 25-4 first-quarter lead.
Allie Wyszynski topped Skyline with 12 points. Morgan Farrar, Shelby Kassuba and Megan Wiedeman each had 10 points for the Spartans.
No. 3 Skyline boys basketball team edges Bothell in OT, 65-61
February 7, 2012
There was a time not so long ago when Lucas Shannon’s Skyline High School basketball coaches almost forbid him from shooting.
Once known as a defensive stopper only, Shannon has ratcheted up his offensive game.
The 6-foot-7 senior had a career-high 27 points, including six in overtime, and added 13 rebounds as third-ranked Skyline beat visiting Bothell, 65-61, Feb. 3 in a KingCo Conference 4A boys basketball game.
“It’s been a long journey here from sixth or seventh grade, when I wasn’t supposed to shoot the ball much,” said Shannon, who will play at Saint Martin’s next year.
Liberty girls basketball team ends season by beating Mount Si
February 7, 2012
As the four senior members of the Liberty High School girls basketball team suited up for their Feb. 2 game against conference foe Mount Si, they knew it would be their last regular season game on their home court.
After never trailing during the contest, the Patriots clearly wanted to go out with a bang on Senior Night with their 57-46 win over the Wildcats.
Liberty took control of the game early, running up the score to 14-3 at one point during the first quarter. With senior center Aspen Winegar leading with the way with a game-high 17 points — as well as 11 rebounds, one block and two assists — they never looked back.
The co-captain had a standout regular season for the Patriots, averaging 13.1 points, 2.2 assists, 1.4 blocks and 7.1 rebounds per game.
Liberty girls basketball team advances to district
February 7, 2012
NEW — 11:45 a.m. Feb. 7, 2012
The Liberty High School girls basketball team earned a berth in the Class 3A Sea-King District Tournament on Monday when the Patriots defeated visiting Mercer Island 60-40 in a first-round, loser-out KingCo Conference contest.
Liberty, which had close games with Mercer Island earlier this season, made sure this game would never be in doubt. The Patriots bolted to a 20-7 first-quarter lead and kept pulling away. The Patriots led 42-18 at halftime.
Aspen Winegar led the Patriots with 16 points. Sierra Carlson chipped in 13 points, and Morgan Safley and Megan Tsutakawa each had eight points.
Liberty girls basketball team finishes third in KingCo
February 3, 2012
NEW — 11:30 a.m. Feb. 3, 2012
The Liberty High School girls basketball team bounced back from two tough losses earlier this week to defeat visiting Mount Si 57-46 Thursday in the Patriots’ final regular-season contest.
Liberty finished third in the KingCo Conference 3A/2A standings with a 10-4 record. The Patriots, 14-6 overall, host Mercer Island at 7 p.m. Feb. 6 in the opening round of the league tournament.
The Patriots, who lost to co-leaders Lake Washington and Juanita earlier in the week, shot to a 17-12 first-quarter lead against Mount Si and never looked back. Liberty held a commanding 27-17 halftime lead on Senior Night.
Appropriately for the Patriots, seniors played a major part in the victory. Senior Aspen Winegar scored a game-high 17 points. Seniors Stephanie Year, Megan Tsutakawa and Morgan Safley contributed nine, seven and three points respectively. Sophomore Sierra Carlson added 16 points.
