By Amanda Perkins (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Licking took down MV-BT/Liberty 59-45 in a regular season game on Friday that felt like much more.
“It felt like a district championship game,” said Licking head coach Steve Rissler. “It was intense there for a little bit.”
These two teams have a lot of history from last season. The Lady Wildcats and Mountain View – Birch Tree Liberty Eagles met three times last season, culminating with Licking knocking Liberty out of the district tournament. The crowd was eager for a rematch.
“We had three good games last year and both teams graduated one and returned a lot of kids, so we expected a good game,” said Rissler.
The showdown featured area standouts Piper Francis and Karlee Holland.
“Those were two of the best players in the state going at it,” noted Liberty head coach Eli Ernst. “If you don’t like that, you don’t like basketball.”
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Holland helped the Lady Wildcats to a 7-0 lead, which they maintained throughout the first quarter. The Lady Eagles found themselves in foul trouble and, already battling losses from injuries, were forced to draw from their bench. Licking took advantage, effectively attacking the basket and advancing their lead to 32-15 at the half.
In the second, Licking continued to work for free throws and double-teamed Francis, limiting her to 12 points on the night.
“They had other girls step up to hit their shots, though, and that really hurt us,” said Rissler. “They made us play.”
Madison Berry put up 11 points for Liberty, and Kinley Richards, Trinity Clark, and Taylor Randolph each added 6. But while the Lady Eagles pressed, Holland excelled, driving to the rim multiple times to ultimately tie her career-high 31 points.
“They are injured right now and have two kids out who will really help them, and we were still lucky to get out of here with a win, so I’m happy,” said Coach Rissler. “If we can get a win over a district opponent on the road in this type of environment, it is good for us.”
Ernst was pleased with his team’s effort.
“Coming into it, knowing what’s on the line with a district opponent, I thought they played really hard,” he said. “We are a little short-staffed with a lot of injuries, but no excuses. I don’t know that they smelled any fear tonight, and I’m really proud of them.” He noted the play of Kinley Richards, and said Kaitlyn King was clutch for the team. “She came off the bench and really did a lot of good things inside where we could put more pressure on the outside. I think she played 60 minutes tonight between JV and Varsity; we leaned on her quite a bit tonight and are proud of her effort.”
Licking improves to 7-0 and will challenge Richland Monday in a contest with Frisco League implications. Liberty, now 3-3, will host Eminence next Thursday.
Licking Scoring: Holland, 31; Feringa, 16; Lexi Hadix, 7; Sullins, 3; Hood, 1; Lainy Hadix, 1.
Liberty Scoring: Francis, 12; Madison Berry, 11; Randolph, 6; Clark, 6; Richards, 6; King, 4.
