League champ Liberty opens basketball playoffs at home

Junior guard Jaden Ortega is one of the Liberty's leading scorers. (Photo by Rick Rowell)

By Doug Spoon, Editor

Mountain Pass League champion Liberty High will begin the postseason with a home game against Troy Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the first round of the CIF-SS Division 3AA boys basketball playoffs.

The Bison finished off a 10-0 league season with a 69-22 rout of Tahquitz Thursday night. Liberty is 21-6 overall after completing its second consecutive perfect league season.

Liberty is led by the Tigget twins, Jalen and Isaiah, who dominate in rebounding and use their size to anchor a solid team defense. Outside scoring is provided by Jaden Ortega and Rene Delgado.

Santa Rosa Academy will take a 14-14 record into its Division 4AA home game against Brea Olinda on Wednesday. The Rangers finished third in the South Valley League.

In Division 5AA, Heritage will open the playoffs with a game at Granite Hills. The Patriots are 11-14 overall but secured a second-place finish in the Inland Valley League with an 82-76 victory over Paloma Valley in the last game of the regular season.

That loss proved costly for Paloma Valley, which finished tied for third place in the league. The Wildcats lost a coin flip with Lakeside to determine the league’s final playoff representative.