Liberty, Centennial to meet in state championship game
RENO — Liberty senior Dre’una Edwards joked after Thursday’s game that had she known she was on pace to break the record for most points in a girls state tournament game, she would have fought harder to play the fourth quarter.
She may not have hit the record of 42 points, but the Patriots will take what they got from her.
Edwards commanded the first half, scoring 26 of her game-high 28 points, and the Patriots made quick work of McQueen with a 71-33 rout in the Class 4A state semifinals at Lawlor Events Center.
Liberty (31-2) will play Centennial (28-3) in the state title game at 6:10 p.m. Friday at Lawlor.
“I made my shots, got to see the court, got my players open, played defense and did everything on the offensive end,” Edwards said. “We love being able to play on the court and bring the intensity.”
Edwards missed her first four shots, then didn’t do much missing after that, connecting on 11 of her next 14 attempts. She scored seemingly at will, multiple times collecting a McQueen rebound and going coast-to-coast with a layup. At one point she scored nine points in a row as part of a 20-2 run in the second quarter.
She finished with 11 rebounds, four blocks and three assists.
“The girls were giving her the ball, and she was going to work,” Liberty coach Chad Kapanui said.
As good as Edwards was, it’s not crazy to think the Patriots would have won without her. Teammate Rae Burrell had 20 points and eight rebounds, and nine Patriots scored in a game where they held the Lancers (18-10) to 10-for-47 (21 percent) shooting.
They also scored the game’s first 14 points on the way to the biggest margin of victory in a state tournament game in school history.
“It’s always good when a team is playing together and obviously putting up points like that to dominate the game,” Kapanui said. “If the team is playing well, it’s hard to stop us.”
As an added bonus, had Liberty lost, the Patriots would have bussed back to Henderson on Thursday night. With the win, they’re guaranteed to stay in Reno until Saturday, a fact Kapanui made sure was not lost on his players.
“I was like, if you want to stay in Reno, you better make sure we win,” Kapanui said. “The girls went out there focused, ready to go, and we just have to do it one more day.”
Centennial 68, Reno 30
Four Bulldogs scored in double figures as they rolled over the Huskies in the other semifinal to advance to their fourth consecutive state championship game. They won the previous three years.
“Each one is harder every year because your kids get more complacent,” Centennial coach Karen Weitz said. “They just expect things to happen. So the more you win, the harder it gets because to keep them focused is very difficult.”
The Bulldogs did to the Reno on Thursday what they’ve done to Nevada opponents for years now: start fast and play relentlessly throughout. Six players scored in the first quarter as Centennial led 17-8. It was 36-14 at halftime, 53-26 after the third and into running clock by the fourth.
The most impressive player for Centennial was the one who did a little bit of everything. Daejah Phillips had 11 points, seven rebounds, five assists, four steals and the team’s lone block.
“I just want to win and do anything I can for the team,” Phillips said. “It feels good.”
Since Class 4A started in the 1996-97 season, Thursday was the first time that both girls semifinals were decided by at least 30 points.
Centennial’s game against Liberty will be their first meeting of the year after the Bulldogs eliminated the Patriots from the state tournament the previous two years.
“We have to clean some stuff up, hopefully tomorrow, and find the right seven or eight people ready to go,” Weitz said. “You hope they come, they’re focused and they understand the importance of what they’re doing.”
Justice Ethridge led Centennial with 14 points and nine boards, Eboni Walker had 13 points, and Melanie Isbell scored 12.
Kaitlynn Bissaou led the Huskies (22-8) with 14 points, seven rebounds and four steals. No other player scored more than six.
Contact Justin Emerson at jemerson@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2944. Follow @J15Emerson on Twitter.