The seventh seeded Liberty girls basketball team showed its fans how to finish in its 44-39 District XI Class 6A quarterfinal upset of the second seeded Pocono Mountain West Panthers on Feb. 24 at Pleasant Valley High School.

“I feel great, but I’m happy for [the girls]. They deserve it,” said Liberty coach Jarrett Carnes. “One-and-done would’ve been upsetting, so they deserve to play it out.”

The Panthers maintained a single-digit lead throughout most of the game with the 5-11” Vataijah Davis (21 points) presenting the biggest challenge for the Hurricanes.

“We were preaching defense and rebounds. They were killing us on the boards in the first half, so just trying to preach getting a body on someone, getting that ball, and then being strong with it,” Coach Carnes said. “We went man late in the game to give them a different look, but other than that, we sat in our zone all night because it was working, and we wanted to protect the paint because Davis is a monster. We saw they struggle against zone, so that’s what we went with.”

Liberty trailed, 30-26, to start the fourth quarter when Hurricane guard Layla Orth (11 points) converted on a three-point play after scoring on a pass from Jordan Thompson and a subsequent foul. Soon after, Orth put the ‘Canes up, 31-30, on two free throws.

“It’s awesome to be put in a position as a senior where it’s win or go home, to know you have the opportunity to put your team up, so when you’re given it, you have to step up and be willing to take it,” Orth said. “I think, once we took the lead, it humbled them. They weren’t expecting us to come out the way we came out. After taking that lead in the fourth quarter, it woke them up a little bit and they started not knowing how to handle it.”

Orth sank two more free throws with 3:48 left, Aaliyah Cancel hit a 3-pointer for West, and Liberty guard Emma Pukszyn (11 points) knotted the game at 35.

“We knew they were taller and faster, so we were trying to slow it down and run our plays,” said Pukszyn. “I think I was able to find ways to get everyone else open and drive and see where everyone else was. And my goal was to try and limit 30 (Davis) because she’s an amazing player, and I knew she was going to get buckets.”

Pocono West and Liberty tied again, 39-39, with 1:28 left on the clock.

Two steals, one by Pukszyn knocking the ball away from Davis, and one by Liberty guard Ava Kopetskie (10 points), drew fouls, and both ‘Canes combined for the last five points of the game.

“I was a little nervous, trying to take deep breaths, trying to make the shots, and not put too much pressure on myself,” Kopetskie said. “We definitely needed key stops during the game. We had a couple of big rebounds, big steals toward the end. I think we just kept our composure well on the defensive end and played our zone very well, and for one of the first times we’ve done it in a game, I think we did really well.”

The Hurricanes never backed down from Davis and her Pocono Mountain West teammate Anaisah Malone (10 points) as Pukszyn and Thompson found ways to pull down rebounds in the second half with Orth bravely driving the lane.

“I feel amazing. Words can’t describe it. To be a senior and to know it was win or go home, and we won, it’s awesome,” said Orth. “We didn’t want to be done. We wanted to keep going. It’s exciting.”

Liberty will have taken on Northampton in a district semifinal scheduled for Feb. 28 past Press deadlines.