Behind full-court press, Liberty Hill Lady Panthers aim for state title

By Danny Davis

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

LIBERTY HILL The plan called for celebrating Liberty Hill's precious berth in the girls state basketball tournament with a sleepover at the home of senior guard Lorrie Potts.

But after traveling to Corpus Christi this past weekend for a pair of Class 3A playoff games the second being a regional-final victory over Burnet and then heading back home, the Lady Panthers discovered they weren't up for staying up late, gossiping about boys and gorging themselves on pizza.

No, they just wanted to sleep.

"We were all in the same house, sleeping," said senior guard Kourtney Bevers. "There wasn't much celebration, because we worked so hard."

The Lady Panthers' tired state could be partly attributed to their aggressive defensive play, which limited West Oso to 13 points on Friday in the regional semifinals before Burnet scored 36 points Saturday.

Liberty Hill, which opens play today in the Class 3A state tournament at the Erwin Center, boasts a defense that has allowed only 37.1 points a game this season. Anchored by a full-court press, the defense shifts into different looks once opponents reach midcourt with the basketball. Lady Panthers coach Matt Kirschner said Monday that his team's defense has forced more than 30 turnovers per game.

"Our defense leads directly into our offense," said Kirschner, who emphasizes this philosophy by intertwining defensive drills into offensive workouts during Liberty Hill's practices. "We're one of the few teams that will press on everything. Miss, make, turnover, we're going to press you."

Liberty Hill's defense has benefited from the team's depth, as nine players routinely play in the first quarter of a game.

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Behind full-court press, Liberty Hill Lady Panthers aim for state title