Liberty took care of business in their District 11 6A playoff opener, as the Hurricanes overmatched Nazareth 49-27 Saturday afternoon in the quarterfinals.

The sophomore combo of Blake Hargrove and Jake Pukszyn combined for 15 points apiece to push third-seeded Liberty (19-6) to Wednesday’s semifinal round against second-seeded Emmaus.

Both teams faced off only once this season on Dec. 19 with Emmaus coming away with a 54-49 victory, but could this postseason be set up a similar path as last year?

Emmaus is coming off a quarterfinal round bye this week, just like they did last year when Liberty upset them in the semis 46-43 to reach the finals.

“Our team this year has a nice mixture of experience from last year’s playoff run and from the EPC playoffs this year,” said head coach Nigel Long. “With us being in the district quarterfinals last year and the EPC semifinals this year, we are familiar with the circumstances that are at hand. It will be important that we lean onto those past experiences.”

The top three teams in 6A advance to the PIAA tournament, so the Hurricanes have two games guaranteed this week to have a shot at making a second straight appearance in the state playoffs.

With Parkland and Emmaus being the top two teams in the conference all season, Liberty will need to give their best effort if a district championship is in the cards, but Long knows at this time of the year, it comes down to every possession.

“The playoffs have shown us that every possession matters on both ends of the floor,” he said. “We have to maximize our possessions on the offensive end, and limit our opponents chances when we are on the defensive end.”

The championship round and consolation contest are scheduled for Saturday, March 2. Location and times are not yet determined.