SUNRISE GIRLS: Cochran lights up bucket, glass to lead Liberty girls into finals

Liberty girls basketball player Daynice Cochran has always considered herself to be more of a rebounder than a point scorer.

But the senior forward was both Thursday, collecting 18 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Patriots to a 55-36 home victory over Foothill in the Sunrise Region semifinals.

The win lifted Liberty (24-4) into Friday’s league championship game against Green Valley (24-4) at 5 p.m.

“I just want to reach our goal,” said Cochran, who has her eye on a regional championship. “I was willing to do whatever I had to do and leave it all on the court.”

Both teams looked strong in the first half, and neither was able to establish a comfortable lead. Amanda Delgado nailed a 12-footer and a subsequent free throw to give the Patriots their biggest advantage at 18-15 with 2:28 left in the half.

The Falcons, who were 0-3 against Liberty in regular-season play, battled back. Bri Higgins hit a five-footer off the glass in the final minute to give Foothill a 21-20 halftime lead.

“Every game we’ve played against them has been a good one,” Liberty coach Quintin Lester said. “We knew coming in it was going to be a dogfight, and we knew they were going to try to slow us down.”

The Patriots opened the fourth by scoring 12-consecutive points to go ahead 48-34 with 2:22 remaining.

Foothill’s offense, which shot 28 percent from the field on the night, suddenly went cold in scoring only two points in the final period.

The Patriots, meanwhile, wore the Falcons down with an intense running game.

“We switched defenses and created some turnovers,” Lester said. “That got us more toward the pace we wanted to play.”

Foothill never came close to answering Liberty’s surge, and the Patriots surged to a 19-2 fourth-quarter run.

Though Liberty was the pre-determined site of the regional tournament, Lester said the home-court advantage played an important role in his team’s win.

“It definitely helped,” the coach said. “It was nice that we didn’t have to get on a bus and get lost in traffic. It was definitely significant.”

Delgado helped Liberty with 10 points and six rebounds. Teammate Jade Washington finished with 11 points and three steals.

Cheryl Harless led the Falcons (18-4) with 15 points and six rebounds. Higgins added 12 points and six rebounds.

Green Valley 70, Silverado 56 — Sarah Pickus and Jazmine Jarvis each scored 21 points to help the Gators earn a trip to the championship game.

The Skyhawks dominated early, closing the first quarter on a 10-0 scoring run that gave them an 18-12 advantage.

But Green Valley chipped away at the deficit, and Jarvis tied it at 27 with a long 3-pointer from well beyond the top of the key late in the first half to put the Gators on top 32-29 at halftime.

The Skyhawks hit only 28 percent of their second-half field-goal attempts, and Green Valley capitalized. Jarvis’ off-balance six-footer with 5:37 left in the third ignited a 13-3 run that broke the game open.

Natalie Lainhart, who led Silverado with 16 points, five rebounds and four assists, attempted to keep her team in it, but the Gators had a quick answer for each of the Skyhawks’ baskets.

Danielle Christenson helped Green Valley with 15 points.

Kaitlin Keathley added 15 points and seven rebounds for the Skyhawks (19-9). Teammate Shea Collins notched 11 points and four assists.