“Last night we saw we could compete with them, and tonight, we decided we were going to win,” said Liberty guard Emma Pukszyn of the Hurricanes’ 49-41 victory over Freedom last Wednesday at Liberty.

Freedom won the first contest the day before, 66-54, at Freedom.

“We’re this far into the season, we’re the underdogs of the league, and no one expected us to pull out a win tonight, so it feels amazing,” said Liberty forward Erin Eisenhart.

In Wednesday night’s second quarter, which was highlighted by the Hurricane defense, Pukszyn and Abby Thompson took Liberty on an 11-0 run, holding the Patriots to three points.

“Early in the season we had a hard time on defense, and then we started talking,” Pukszyn said. “I try to read the ball off the rim. It’s definitely grueling under there.”

Thompson’s three pointers and a total of 12 points at the half, helped pull the Hurricanes to within one point at halftime after trailing 19-9 in the first quarter, a spark that Coach Andy Wescoe said the Hurricanes really needed.

“Well you know, yesterday wasn’t our best...so we really wanted this win. It’s our home and our rival, and we went for it,” Thompson said.

At halftime, Coach Wescoe made a few minor adjustments.

“I wanted them to anticipate pressure. Our man-to-man initially was effective. When we went to the 2-3, it allowed us to stay out of foul trouble, get some other players in the game, and not worry so much about matchups, and it proved beneficial,” he said. “Our defensive effort was great. We really battled on the boards all game long.”

After Freedom forward Kailey Turpening hit a three pointer early in the third quarter, Liberty forward Tamia Bruce put the Hurricanes ahead for the first time with 2:30 remaining in the third.

“It got physical, mostly when I was driving, but I didn’t get the calls, so I just kept my head in the game and kept driving,” Bruce said.

Liberty guard Jess Farrell had the first bucket for the Hurricanes in the fourth quarter after grabbing an offensive rebound.

“That’s one thing our coaches are always telling us- be strong with the rebounds and secure the ball,” Farrell said.

Liberty guard Layla Orth added eight points in the fourth, two on a turnover created by Pukszyn.

“Our defense is what kept us in it, and then once we started getting steals, we started hitting our shots,” said Orth. “This was a game we knew we had to be physical, and I think we brought that to the table.”

Liberty and Freedom will meet again this Tuesday, past Press deadlines, in district playoffs.

“It’s great, you know, our rival,” said Coach Wescoe. “That’s a super team we beat tonight. You have to earn it when you beat them.”