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I will start with the disclaimer that I have only seen the Liberty girls basketball team play four times this year.

Granted, they were the last four games of the season, but still I may not have an entirely accurate perspective on this year’s team. But — there is always a but — I think I saw the gamut of how the Blue Jays can play in those four games.

Coming off such a great performance against William Chrisman in the Class 5 sectional playoffs, I hoped Liberty’s subpar performance against Oak Park in the Class 5 District 16 semifinals was the push the squad needed to play at that top level the rest of the way.

WARRENSBURG — It only took a couple of offensive possessions for every one to see something was missing.

The problem for Liberty’s girls basketball team was the situation they had chosen to come out flat in. Blue Springs took advantage of a Blue Jay team that never clicked in the Class 5 state quarterfinals Saturday, March 6, at the University of Central Missouri Multipurpose Building en route to a 43-32 win.

“It was very surprising,” Liberty coach Mike Morley said. “Especially with the way Jenna (Turner) and Maddie (Mason) had played. Thank God Kelsey Goff was able to do what she did. She was the only one putting her head down and getting to the hoop.”

It has been nearly three months since Mike Morley has seen the tenacity his team has shown defensively the last two games. The Liberty girls team put the clamps on another team, William Chrisman, and advanced to the Class 5 quarterfinals after a 50-35 win in the sectional round at the Independence Events Center on Wednesday, March 3.

“We are starting to get back to that intensity we had to have when we started the season with (Springfield) Kickapoo, Nixa and O’Hara,” Morley said. “I would go back and play that same schedule and take those losses to prepare us for this. In the first game of the year they saw what intensity they were going to have to play with this year. That has carried over to the rest of the season.”

The Blue Jays will now play rival Blue Springs in the Class 5 quarterfinal game at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 6, at the Multipurpose Building on the campus of the University of Central Missouri. Liberty has beaten the Wildcats twice already this season, but Blue Springs ended Liberty’s season in this same game last year.

Few teams may be playing better than the Liberty girls basketball team heading into the Class 5 playoffs this season. Before a sectional matchup with William Chrisman on Wednesday, March 3, the Blue Jays had won 12 of their past 13 games.

They own two victories against defending Class 5 state runner-up Blue Springs and coach Mike Morley thought his team turned a corner in its district championship win against St. Joseph Central.

“When we can fly around like that and get to where we need to get and pressure the ball to where they can’t find people right away, we are a pretty good team,” Morley said. “(Saturday) is how we looked really early in the year. I am hoping that can carry over for us.”

Being the smaller team has been something Liberty’s girls basketball team has lived with all season. It is a weakness the Blue Jays have turned into a strength on their way to a 21-6 record.

So, it was no surprise the way the smaller Blue Jays took away St. Joseph Central’s inside game in a 45-35 win Saturday, Feb. 27, in the Class 5 District 16 title game at St. Joseph Central High. It was the Blue Jays’ third district title in four years.

Liberty held Central’s three post players to a combined eight points. Six of those came from Alexis Bates.

Following the news of upsets across the state, including No. 3-ranked Nixa and their own boys team, the Liberty girls basketball team almost found themselves in the same situation.

Fortunately for the Blue Jays, a scare was all they received in a 38-32 win against Oak Park on Thursday, Feb. 25, in the Class 5 District 16 semifinals at St. Joseph Central High. Juniors Jenna Turner and Kelsey Goff led the way with 13 and 10 points, respectively.

“We probably talked about (the upsets) too much,” Liberty coach Mike Morley said. “I told the girls after the game we probably did too much worrying about Oak Park and not losing this game instead of going out and playing our game. That won’t happen again. It will be all about us from here on out.”

Clark and Groom out if the team makes the district final

Liberty will have to win the Class 5 District 16 Tournament shorthanded.

The Blue Jays are the top seed in the tourney which begins Tuesday, Feb. 23 at St. Joseph Central High. If Liberty advances to the district final, it will play without junior guards Kaysie Clark and Shea Groom.

Junior’s banked-in 3-pointer caps improbable comeback, clinchs share of conference title

Jenna Turner didn’t call “glass” when she let her 3-pointer go.

The shot was so off that the Liberty junior forward ran towards the rim to grab an offensive rebound.

Jays can clinch Big Seven title outright with three home victories

The Suburban Big Seven Conference girls basketball title is Liberty’s to win.

Thanks to a season sweep of Blue Springs, the Blue Jays (16-6 overall and 8-1 in the conference) can win the championship outright with victories in their final three home games.

Mason sinks two free throws with 3.6 seconds remaining

It felt a lot like early March at Blue Springs High.

Liberty and Blue Springs, ranked No. 6 in the state in Class 5, went toe-to-toe in a playoff atmosphere to see who would get a leg up in the Suburban Big Seven Conference. And thanks to junior Maddie Mason's two free throws with 3.6 seconds remaining, the Blue Jays have climbed on top with a 52-51 victory Thursday, Feb. 4.