WASHINGTON — Leonie Fiebich is a not-so-secret stabilizer for the Liberty.
She never gets too high or too low. She doesn’t always put up the flashiest numbers.
Her defensive efforts can go unappreciated by the average eye.
But not to her teammates.
She can score, but she knows her role on a team loaded with offensive firepower.
In Friday’s 85-63 victory, with the Liberty exhausted from having played the night before, Fiebich entered the game and delivered precisely what was needed.
Fiebich played her best game of the season.
She scored 12 points on 4-for-5 shooting (2-for-3 from deep) and contributed nine rebounds, three blocks and an assist.
It was the type of showing coach Sandy Brondello has come to expect from her German forward.
“Every day, you know what you’re going to get day-in and day-out,” Brondello said of Fiebich. “We appreciate that. She loves defense; she’s so versatile. But you can see that. She was shooting 3s. She was cutting. She was posting out. So it was great for us.”
Jonquel Jones referred to Fiebich as a defensive anchor for the team. She possesses the ability to guard the opposing team’s top guards or wings, using her length and athleticism to effectively shut them down.
“She’s someone that we’re not worried about that matchup,” Jones said. “We understand that she can go out there and just be really productive in that sense, but it’s something that maybe other people overlook but we don’t overlook it on our team. We understand how valuable she is to us.”
Backup center Nyara Sabally remains sidelined with a right knee issue.
Friday marked the fourth game Sabally missed this week after discomfort flared up in her surgically repaired knee while warming up for the Liberty’s game at Indiana.
Brondello has said Sabally is “fine” and has expressed caution with not wanting to rush Sabally back to the floor before she’s ready.
“Hopefully, she’s back by Sunday,” Brondello said pregame. “She’s making progress but we want to make sure she’s feeling 100 percent.”
Sabally did an individual workout Thursday and has been shooting, Brondello said.
But concern surrounding Sabally’s knee continues to grow the longer she remains out.
Jones recorded her fourth double-double of the season Friday and 26th since joining the Liberty before the 2023 season.
Jones grabbed 18 rebounds, her most in a regular-season game since 2019. She also scored 14 points.
The Liberty have yet to lose when Jones posts a double-double.
