SUNRISE GIRLS: Strawther helps Liberty rout Foothill in title game

For Liberty’s girls basketball team, no game is over until senior center Paris Strawther says it’s over.

The Patriots led Foothill by 19 points at halftime Friday, but Strawther wasn’t about to allow her team to let up.

Though already dominant in the first half, Strawther turned her game up a notch in the second to help host Liberty claim its third consecutive regional title with an 85-50 victory over the Falcons in the Sunrise Region championship.

The victory clinched a spot for the Patriots in next week’s Division I state tournament at Orleans Arena. Foothill (21-8) will meet Bishop Gorman (22-5) in a state play-in game at 5 p.m. Monday at Chaparral.

Strawther, who finished with 24 points, 18 rebounds and five steals, said she was not satisfied with her team’s halftime lead, considering the Patriots (25-3) blew a 20-point advantage during a preseason scrimmage loss to the Falcons.

“So when we were up by (19) at halftime tonight, I knew it wasn’t over,” Strawther said. “There was still another half to play.”

Though the Falcons hung tough in the opening minutes, it was apparent that they were struggling to control Liberty’s height and speed.

Kealy Brown nailed a 13-foot buzzer-beater to give the Patriots a 20-14 lead at the end of the first quarter, and the Falcons soon were no match for the Patriots. A free throw by Aubre Fortner began a 17-0 second-quarter run that pushed Liberty’s lead to 37-14.

Patriots coach Chad Kapanui said he had a good feeling when Strawther started showing signs of a big night.

“When you have a player like Paris who can go inside and outside, she’s hard to stop,” Kapanui said.

Any doubt was erased when the Patriots reeled off 12 straight points early in the third quarter, capped by Kaily Kaimikaua’s 3-pointer from the left corner to make it 55-27.

“We were more focused on our defense than anything else,” Kapanui said. “And they swarmed all over the floor.”

That defense helped the Patriots compile big rebounding and forced-turnover advantages to send the Falcons into early desperation mode that yielded few results.

Taylor Turney attempted to rally Foothill, scoring 12 of her game-high 27 points in the third quarter, but trying to contain Strawther was futile, and four other Patriots finished with double-figure scoring.

Brown had 14 points and eight rebounds for Liberty. Nancy Caballero also scored 15, Fortner had 13 and Celine Quintino added 11.