They became the first pair of teammates to reach the 1,000 career-points mark in the same season in school history. Williamson is now the school’s all-time leading scorer (1,358) as her and Watson are just the third and fourth members of Liberty’s prestigious group, joining Leah Leshnack (2014) and Jessica White (2003).

“As a coach, I was just ecstatic because we had two players hit that 1,000-point mark in the same season, so it was good for us,” said Liberty coach Deidre Watson, Delia’s mother. “Those two had been with us since they were freshmen, so they had the 3-21 record (as freshmen), so to see it come full circle was pretty special.”

The two seniors left an indelible mark on the Leopards beyond their milestones.

Deidre Watson just finished her fifth year as Liberty’s head coach, so she had the chance to watch both players grow and mature, both physically and mentally. The biggest change she noticed was how their play and overall belief impacted the rest of the team — and, essentially, the program.

Staff file photo / Brian Yauger Liberty’s Delia Watson, center, goes up to the net for a layup while being defended by Harding’s Faith Burch, right.

Liberty was 3-21 during the 2016-2017 season, but they went 50-21 over the next three years, finished 20-5 this past season and reached the district championship in 2019.

“We had to get over a certain mentality,” Deidre Watson said. “Some teams (in the area) are known to be powerhouses, so we had the mentality that, ‘Oh, that’s this team or that that team, so we can’t beat them.’ We had to figure out that we could compete with those teams.”

Williamson and Delia Watson were the main reasons why.

Williamson, a 5-foot-7 guard who is still deciding where to play collegiately, averaged a double-double as a senior, scoring 17.2 points and grabbing 10.3 rebounds per game all while shooting 50 percent from the field. Aside from her record point total, she nearly snared 1,000 boards as well, finishing with 943.

Her athleticism played a big role in her reaching 1,000 points, as did what Deidre Watson called the “best mid-range game in the area.” When she reached the mark in the second game of the year against Bristol, Williamson did it in front of all the people who helped her get to that point.

“I had all my family there and everybody there to support me for it,” said Williamson, who admitted she didn’t want to force the issue but nervousness and the crowd caused her to think about the milestone. “I had to make sure I got it that game.”

Williamson’s talent was evident from the beginning.

Her quickness and hustle led to her being a starter as a freshman, and she quickly decided that 1,000 points was going to be a goal.

“That’s something that you want to achieve throughout your high school career,” Williamson said. “I wanted that since my freshman year, so it was a great feeling to finally do it.”

Delia Watson took on a little bit of a different mindset.

As the Leopards’ point guard, the 5-6 senior’s job was to make sure other players were scoring and finding their rhythm. She led Liberty in assists with 155, which was 113 more than the next closest person, as she averaged 6.5 per game. She also scored 12.4 points and grabbed 3.3 rebounds per contest.

Maybe of most importance was her basketball IQ, which came from being around the game since she was a child.

“She was the reason we were able to run the floor,” Deidre Watson said. “She was able to see the floor differently. In a timeout, she could talk to me and say, ‘No, this is what I saw. We could do this.’ ”

Her work ethic and success led to a strong influence on the team.

Her mother admitted that sometimes it was easier to get a message across through Delia.

“Sometimes they won’t listen to me,” Deidre said with a laugh, “so I’d tell her, ‘You need to get in there and talk to them.’ ”

Delia’s big moment came later in the season.

She notched her 1,000th point in the last regular-season game against Crestview. It was a close game in which the Leopards won by four points, so every basket was critical. Delia’s final points didn’t come easy either.

“That game I had tore something in my arm, and it was hurting really bad,” she said. “I knew I needed that last lay-up, so I ran my hardest, and the girl passed me the ball, and it went in. I was so happy.”

Both big moments came on the Leopards’ home floor, with family and friends there to celebrate.

Delia didn’t have to go far to find most of her family. Aside from her mother being the coach, her younger sister, Demi, was a freshman on this year’s team. She might be the next to join the 1,000-point club.

“That created a memory that I’m going to have forever,” Delia said. “I’m just really happy that they were there with me. My sister played right beside. Her seeing me doing it, so (now) she knows that she can do it, too.”