Liberty wraps up league title in boys basketball, 72-55

Isaiah Tigget dunks the ball to help Liberty open up an early lead Tuesday. (Photo by Rick Rowell)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

In a scene reminiscent of one from a year ago, the Liberty High boys basketball team used a strong team effort to defeat visiting San Jacinto, 72-55, and claim the Mountain Pass League title Tuesday night.

The Bison used a balanced scoring attack, strong rebounding and solid defense to win their second consecutive league title in just their second full varsity season. Last year, the Bison went 10-0 in league and lost in the second round of the CIF playoffs. This year’s squad can finish 10-0 again with a win at Tahquitz on Thursday.

Beyond that … well, let’s just say there are high expectations.

“We have our times when we play almost too unselfish, missing wide-open opportunities or even layups because we’re looking for kick-outs,” coach Andrew Ellis said of the Bison, who are now 20-6 overall. “But when we get that ball moving, we’re a tough team to beat.”

The 6-foot-5 Tigget twins, Jalen and Isaiah, set the tone for the Bison in the early minutes of this one. Isaiah got open for two easy layups, and when Jalen followed his brother’s shot with a slam dunk and 6-0 lead, San Jacinto (10-11) was already calling timeout. Liberty’s next points came on a dunk by Isaiah, and a subsequent follow shot by Shane Dalumpines gave Liberty a 10-4 lead.

Junior guard Jaden Ortega didn’t start the game, but he came on to have a huge impact, finishing with a team-high 19 points. He started off a 10-0 Bison run in the second quarter with a 3-pointer. Caius Nile added 4 points during that spurt, which resulted in a 24-15 advantage. Liberty scored the last 6 points of the half for a 35-19 lead at the break.

It was all Liberty in the second half, with the Bison’s defense forcing numerous turnovers. Nile scored 9 points in the third quarter, which ended with a 55-33 advantage. Nile finished the game with 13 points, Rene Delgado with 11, Isaiah Tigget with 10, and Jalen Tigget with 8.

The early slam dunk show was just another day on the court for the Bison, with the Tigget twins getting one or two per game.

“Yeah, we always work on that in practice,” Jalen Tiggett said.

Ellis said that as spectacular as the offense sometimes appears, it is the defense that sets the tone for so many Liberty victories.

“Defensively we try to turn up the tempo a bit and bring a little more energy, which leads to easy transition points,” Ellis said. “If it’s in the half-court set, it’s all about trying to get the easy shot every single time versus trying to work so hard.

“I think we could be sharper, do better on the defensive side, but I think that’s where we’re either staying in games that are close or opening up leads. We’re tough to score on, and with the defense we have, we end up with a lot of easy points at the other end. That’s where we’re getting our momentum from.”

“We play team basketball,” Jalen Tigget said. “It feels great, and it’s my last year, so it’s really special. We’re super confident right now.”

Junior guard Jaden Ortega led Liberty in scoring with 19 points. (Photo by Rick Rowell)

 Jalen Tigget showed he can score from the outside as well as inside. (Photo by Rick Rowell)

 Rene Delgado shoots from the outside during Liberty's win on Tuesday. (Photo by Rick Rowell)

 Coach Andrew Ellis delivers a message to his players during a timeout. (Photo by Rick Rowell)