Douglas Miles

Your Prep Sports

NORTH LIBERTY – The Liberty High girls’ basketball team is no stranger to close contests.

The Class 5A 10^th-ranked Lightning entered Friday night with an 8-1 record in games decided by single digits. Liberty found another tight tussle against rival Iowa City High.

“We’ve had a lot of close games like that this season against a lot of really good teams,” Liberty senior Maddie Casey said after the Lightning held off the ninth-ranked Little Hawks, 56-51, in a Mississippi Valley Conference girls’ basketball game at Liberty High School. “But we just try to focus on what we can control and stay under control. Not get too sped up, not get too flustered. And we do a really good job of maintaining our composure when it gets really close.”

After Liberty High (15-4. 9-3 MVC) led by eight points at 45-37 early in the fourth quarter, City High made its charge.

The Little Hawks (13-6, 9-3) used a 14-6 burst to pull within 52-51 with 50.8 seconds to go.

That is when Liberty bowed up.

“We just needed to take care of the ball and be confident,” Liberty Coach Jaime Brandt said. “We got a little hesitant against the zone they threw on us, but that just shows our maturity. We have come a long ways.”

Liberty junior Natalie Ramsey pulled down a crucial defensive rebound and made two free throws to extend the lead to three points.

A steal by freshman Natalie Schechinger led to two more Liberty free throws from Casey to seal the win.

“We know they are going to go on runs and we just have to be able to respond to that,” Ramsey said. “We talked about on defense to not give up easy shots and taking our time on offense. Making them work on defense and play defense and get good shots out of it.”

Ramsey finished with 12 points, while Casey led all scorers with 14 and fellow senior Janessa Mosley added 13.

Both Casey and her younger sister Ava Casey – who recorded nine points – did not play in Liberty’s 52-43 loss at City High in mid-December.

It remains the only single-digit loss the Lightning have suffered all season.

“We were really looking to finish the season strong, especially against a rival team,” Maddie Casey said. “I have played against these girls for four years, so this was my last time playing City and we were all energized to beat them.”

Emmy McComas and Eve Vitense each posted 12 points for City High, which hosts Maquoketa Monday.

Fifteen wins is a new record for the eighth-year Liberty program.

The Lightning will go for win number 16 Tuesday against Class 4A No. 8 Cedar Rapids Xavier.

“It means a lot,” Brandt said. “It helps when you have really good kids, especially these two seniors that have been with us the last two years, Maddie (Casey) and Janessa (Mosley). But just to have kids but in and believe in our program and believe in our circle, we’ve come a long way for sure.”

City High             19  8  10  14  –  51

Liberty High      18  16  8  14  –  56        

City High (51) – Eve Vitense 4 1-2 12, Maybes Miller 0 0-0 0, August Palmer 4 0-0 10, Hattie Galloway 1 0-0 2, Kaitlin Loria 3 1-5 7, Emmy McComas 5 2-2 12, Tessa Driscoll 2 3-4 8, Totals 19 7-13 51.

Liberty High (56) – Ava Casey 2 3-6 9, Janessa Mosley 5 1-2 13, Natalie Schechinger 2 2-2 6, Sydney Van Heukelom 0 2-2 2, Morgan Bennett 0 0-0 0, Madi Meyer 0 0-0 0, Natalie Ramsey 5 2-2 12, Maddie Casey 4 2-2 14, Totals 18 12-16 56.

3-point field goals – City High 6 (Vitense 3, Palmer 2, Driscoll 1), Liberty High 8 (M. Casey 4, A. Casey 2, Mosley 2). Total fouls – City High 13, Liberty High 12. Fouled out – None.

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