(WSHS #22 Annalisa Ursino, #12 Lydia Giomi, #10 Charli Elliott; photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
9:32 PM: The final score in Bellevue minutes ago was 43-30, with the West Seattle High School girls’ basketball team out of the postseason after a loss to Liberty HS (Issaquah district), but the game was a lot closer most of the way than the final score reflects. More photos and details later tonight.

ADDED EARLY SATURDAY: First, the scoring rundown for WSHS – Giomi led the field with 10 points, #30 Lexi Iaone (above) was second with 7 points including the Wildcats’ only three-pointer of the game. #21 Gabby Sarver (next photo) was third with 5 points.

Elliott followed with four, and scoring was completed by #15 Sarah Cooper (photo below) and Ursino with 2 points each.

Liberty got out to a 5-0 lead before WSHS finally scored midway through the first quarter and went on to take the lead 7-5, promptly losing it when the Patriots hit one of several 3-pointers, answered by the one by Ioane, which gave West Seattle the lead again.

Everything was hard-fought, from rebounds to breaking through the two sides’ respective defenses.

WSHS led 12-8 at the end of the first quarter but Liberty came back out fighting in the next one – including its very vocal fan contingent (WSHS had a hearty turnout too) — and the lead see-sawed a while, with Liberty ahead 22-21 at halftime after a run including two 3-pointers.

West Seattle’s rebounding was strong in the second half but its shooting was on the cold side. They did take back the lead a few minutes in, 23-22, and the lead was extended to three points after a pair of foul shots by Giomi.

But five unanswered points, including yet another 3-pointer, by the Patriots gave them the lead again, 27-25, and Liberty held it the rest of the way, including a few flashes of full-court-press defense. They were one point up over WSHS, 29-28, at the end of the third quarter, and it wasn’t that close again. The Wildcats had many shots but few successes. They scored only once more, a basket by Sarver with just under 3 minutes to go, while Liberty opened it up, including yet another 3-pointer along the way, until the 43-30 final.

Head coach Sonya Elliott has the chance to keep the same strong team growing next year, since none are seniors – yet.