Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports  

NORTH LIBERTY – One day after making its first ever appearance in the Class 5A rankings at No. 14 Liberty High had its sights set on the biggest win in program history.

Meena Tate and West High wouldn’t let that happen.

Tate scored 20 points as 5A fourth-ranked West High held off upstart Liberty High 56-53 in a cross-town thriller in North Liberty.

“We were able to outlast them,” Tate said. “We had a lot of nerves early but at the end we were all a lot cooler and collected and it helped us put the game away.”

West High (4-0) turned a one-point halftime lead into a double-digit cushion in the third quarter but couldn’t put Liberty High (4-2) away.

Instead the Lightning kept coming, pulling even at 50-all on an Ava Meyer 3-pointer with 1:24 left.

“That’s the difference between this year and years past, in the past if we were to get down that would be the game and we didn’t have the fight and the grit to get back in it,” Liberty High head coach Jamie Brandt said. “We know we can score quick if we get going we have scorers that can score and we can make runs and I’m really proud that they kept believing.”

Liberty High kept coming back but every time West High had an answer.

Lucy Wolfe gave West High a 52-50 lead it would never give up with a steal and layup with 58 seconds left.

Tate hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final 16 seconds and Wolf had a key offensive rebound after a mussed free throw with 10 seconds left as the Trojans earned their third win over a ranked team in four games this season.

“We didn’t make a lot of shots, we did some things that we could classify as dumb things, we left some shooters that weren’t supposed to be left but we found a way to win,” West High coach BJ Mayer said. “I think our kids believe in what we do, they believe that if it is close we are going to have a shot.”

West High improved to 6-0 all-time against Liberty High but after winning the first five meetings all by 19 points or more this one was different from the outset.

Liberty High led 14-12 after one quarter and trailed just 27-26 at the half.

“They are definitely an improved team,” Tate said of Liberty High. “They are a force. I’m glad that we were able to pull this game out.”

Jasmine Barney scored 14 of her team-high 20 points after halftime as Liberty High continued to scratch its way back into the game.

The junior guard had a chance to tie the game late but was called for a travel while going to the hoop with 1.2 seconds left.

“We are just really bought in right now,” Brandt said. “Every girl on our bench is bought in we are playing together and the grit we showed tonight I can’t ask for anything more.”

West High senior guard Emma Ingersoll-Weng left with an injury in the opening minutes of the game and didn’t return.

In her absence several West High players stepped up.

Anna Prouty, Keiko Ono-Fullard and Avery Vest all had eight points and sophomore Melae’ Lacy had four points and seven rebounds.

“It would have be really easy to quit when Emma leaves and we had kids step up big time and play like I haven’t seen them play,” Mayer said. “That’s a huge plus.”

Liberty High had four players with at least six points to go with 20 from Barney.

Freshman Madeline Casey had eight, Meyer had seven points and five rebounds and Mischa Reiners and Brynlee Slockett each had six.

Slockett had a pair of clutch fourth-quarter 3-pointers.

“I think we’ve known from the start that we have the talent and we have the ability to be really good this year and I think we are starting to open some people’s eyes,” Brandt said. “We just have to keep grinding and build off of it in our last three games before break.”

West High                  12  15  15 14   –  56

Liberty High              14  12   9  18   –  53

Liberty High (53) – Avery Gaudet 0-3 0-0 0, Libby Allen 1-3 1-2 4, Jasmine Barney 8-20 4-8 20, Bella Tafolla 0-0 0-0 0, Kennedy Daugherty 1-1 0-2 2, Brynlee Slockett 2-3 0-0 6, Ava Meyer 2-7 1-2 7, Mischa Reiners 2-4 2-2 6, Madeline Casey 3-6 0-0 8, Totals 19-48 8-16 53.

West High (56) – Lucy Wolf 1-5 1-4 3, Avery Vest 3-6 0-0 8, Meena Tate 5-12 8-10 20, Carolyn Pierce 1-2 0-0 3, Melae’ Lacy 2-4 2-3 4, Keiko Ono-Fullard 3-7 2-2 8, Anna Prouty 4-8 0-0 8, Totals 19-44 13-19 56.

3-point field goals – ICW 5-20 (Wolf 0-3, Vest 2-4, Tate 2-8, Pierce 1-2, Lacy 0-2, Ono-Fullard 0-1), ICL 7-24 (Gaudet 0-2, Allen 1-3, Barney 0-6, Tafolla 0-1, Slockett 2-3, Meyer 2-6, Casey 2-3). Rebounds – ICW 28 (Lacy 7), ICL 30 (Barney 8). Turnovers – ICW 10, ICL 11. Total fouls – ICW 12, ICL 17. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – None.

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