The Liberty Girls Basketball team has made dramatic strides in improvement over the last few years. They’ve gone from having their first-ever winning record (12-11) in the 2021-22 season to ending with a program-best record this year of 17-6. They also earned their first-ever ranking in the 2023-24 season at 15th in class 5A and then advanced to an eighth-place ranking by the end of this season. Many aspects have contributed to their recent success, with amicability amongst the team being the most prominent.
“We’re really close off the floor, too, and I think that really helps translate to how we play together on the floor. I think we kind of just have that feel for each other and we know how to play with each other,” said Natalie Ramsey (she/her), 11.
Since Liberty Basketball is still a relatively new program, they’ve often been overlooked and underestimated. The team fought hard this year to prove that they belong amongst the top teams in the state and emphasized their ability by winning their regional finals game to advance to the state tournament for the first time in program history.
“It felt very surreal making it to state. It’s something we’ve always worked towards and talked about. Each year we’d always go up and watch the state tournament so it’s a different feeling being the ones actually playing this time,” said Janessa Mosley (she/her), 12.
After their 72-55 win over cross-town rival, Iowa City High School, the team began preparations for the state quarterfinals against Johnston High School. Facing the undefeated one-seed could’ve been a daunting task, but the team went into the game ready to compete.
“At that point at state, everybody’s gonna be good… I think if we play like how we’ve been playing, you know, we’ll definitely have a shot,” said Ramsey.
Liberty was defeated by Johnston in the state quarterfinals in a 73-45 loss. However, the team is still proud of their historic season.
“I think everyone is just proud of the work we’ve put in to have this opportunity and how far we have come… making it to the state tournament for the first time in school history is a huge accomplishment itself,” said Mosley.
