Katie Labanauskas launched a jumper against Waterville-Mansfield.
By Don Nelson
The Liberty Bell High School girls’ basketball team put together one of its best games of the season for a convincing 73-48 home-court win over Waterville-Mansfield last Friday (Jan. 13).
“We finally put together a complete game,” Liberty Bell coach Ed White said. “We had fewer turnovers and the girls played well at both ends of the court.”
The Lady Lions were powered by senior Lauren Fitzmaurice, whose 30 points included five three-point buckets. Freshman Tommie Ochoa added 13 points, and junior Katie Labanauskas chipped in 8, including a couple of three-pointers.
Also in the scoring column were senior Haley Bakke with 7, junior Carlynn Treise with 6, junior Lauren Ochoa with 5, senior Megan Dammann with 2 and junior Nadine Treise with 2. Lauren Ochoa got into early foul trouble and so saw less playing time than usual.
The win gives the Lady Lions an 8-5 season record and 7-2 record in league play, trailing Tonasket and Brewster, which both have 9-1 league records. Liberty Bell played at Lake Roosevelt on Tuesday (Jan. 17), and will host Brewster on Thursday (Jan. 19) with tip-off at 6 p.m. Next up is an away game at Oroville on Saturday (Jan. 21), and then a road trip to Soap Lake on Tuesday (Jan. 24). Earlier this season, the Lady Lions lost to Brewster, 54-22; beat Oroville, 41-39; and beat Soap Lake, 52-31.
JV: Liberty Bell 35, Waterville-Mansfield 34 (Ali Palm 9, Willow Temple 7, Jenna Miller 7, Emily Paul 6, Lillian Cooley 6)
Fitzmaurice nominated for McDonald’s event
Liberty Bell High School senior Lauren Fitzmaurice was one of eight Washington state high school girls’ basketball players who were nominated to play in the McDonald’s All-American Games in Chicago on March 29. Jill Townsend of Okanogan High School was also among the nominees. However, no Washington state players were among the 12-girl roster for the West team that was announced on Sunday (Jan. 15). The annual event showcases the top senior boys’ and girls’ players from around the country.
