It was a repeat of movie Liberty’s seen before and unfortunately, it’s not the type of ending you want from the script. The Hurricanes fell at home Saturday afternoon in the opening round of the PIAA 6A tournament, losing to Coatesville 57-46 in double- overtime at Memorial Gymnasium.

It’s the second straight year Liberty lost at home in double-overtime in their PIAA opener, surely making it a tough way to end another campaign.

Jake Pukszyn and Caden Vermuelen fouled out in overtime and the Hurricanes were outscored 11-0 in the final frame to end their season at 20-8 overall.

Despite the setback, head coach Nigel Long continues to keep a positive mindset about the direction of the program.

“We are incredibly proud of our kids,” said Long. “We’ve battled through adversity from last year to this year, and our kids never wavered. This year was defined by “next man up”. We saw tremendous contributions from many this season. The best is yet to come.”

The Hurricanes were led by their sophomore duo of Pukszyn and Blake Hargrove, who scored 15 and 13 points respectively. Angel Holquin added 10 points off the bench in a game where the ‘Canes trailed 24-18 at the break.

Liberty held Coatesville (19-8) to 13 points in the second half to claw their way back into the game, as Pukszyn tied the game with a pair of free throws late in regulation to force overtime.

Liberty graduates four players from this year’s roster, including Holquin and Vermuelen, but are still a relatively young team with a bright future.