Second-half turnaround gets Liberty past Gators

Understandably, Quintin Lester needed a few minutes to collect himself Friday night.

He’d just witnessed something that before this season Liberty’s girls basketball team had found impossible.

Still shaking, still pumping his right fist and with tears forming in his eyes, the first-year coach managed finally to catch his breath and his thoughts.

“I’m so proud of these kids right now,” he said after the Patriots worked around a 26-turnover first half for a stunning 70-68 victory at Green Valley.

Liberty (20-4, 11-1 Southeast), which before this season never had been in the race for the league title, reclaimed sole possession of the top spot and holds the tiebreaker over the Gators (21-3, 10-2).

Liberty needs a win in either of its last two games to earn a share of the title. Two wins would get the outright crown.

But unlike on Jan. 19 when Liberty blew out Green Valley, 86-60, this one almost got away early.

The Patriots made just 6 of 20 shots and committed 26 turnovers in the first half yet trailed only 36-25 at the break.

“We knew they bring pressure,” Lester said. “We just needed to remain calm.”

Still down six with just more than two minutes to go, the Patriots turned to guards Jade Washington and Amanda Delgado for a spark.

A three-point play by each and two more free throws by Delgado resulted in an 8-0 run in 57 seconds and a 67-65 lead with just more than a minute left.

“They never give up,” Lester said. “They’re our two hardest workers. You have to love it when your two best players are your two hardest workers.”

After the Gators missed two free throws, Liberty ran 35 seconds off the clock before Phoebe Baker hit two free throws to extend the lead to 69-65.

Sarah Pickus’ three-point play with 11.9 seconds left brought Green Valley within a point, and after Washington made 1 of 2 free throws a second later, the Gators had hope. But Angelica Mack’s 3-point bid at the buzzer rimmed out.

Delgado totaled 25 points — nine of those in the fourth quarter. Washington scored 12 of her 17 in the final period.

Destiny Whitehead had 17 points and Daynice Cochran 17 rebounds for Liberty, which had eight second-half turnovers.

Pickus led Green Valley with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Jazmine Jarvis scored 15 points, Mack 14 and Danielle Christenson 12. Mack also had 16 rebounds.