Liberty girls beat Lee’s Summit West and advance to Missouri Class 5 semifinals

The first two points of the game came at the free-throw line.

That was fitting, given that Liberty and Lee’s Summit West were going to play a physical game of basketball in a Missouri Class 5 girls quarterfinal on Saturday night at Liberty North.

Liberty junior guard Sydney Offield scored those first two points, and the Blue Jays would get many more chances at the foul line.

Liberty took advantage of the foul-laden contest and beat LS West 61-49.

With the victory, the Blue Jays, 25-4, advanced to the semifinals and will play Parkway North at Mizzou Arena on Friday.

Liberty did not shoot great at the foul line, but Blue Jays benefited from many opportunities: Liberty made 25-42 free throws, compared to 16-25 for the Titans.

Liberty parlayed that advantage into a large lead, which reached 20 at one point.

Lee’s Summit West made a gritty push late, but Liberty was able to respond and keep control of the game.

Junior guard Heather Leach, senior guard Austin Richardson and senior forward De’Jionae Calloway all fouled out for Lee’s Summit West.

Junior guard Morgan Fleming fouled out with a team-leading 20 points for Liberty.

In the second half, Liberty and Lee’s Summit West traded some of those fouls for three-pointers, although both teams eventually entered the double-bonus.

In the third quarter, LS West junior Harper Leach hit a three-pointer while being fouled. A few minutes later, Liberty’s Offield drained a three-pointer of her own. Offield finished with 15 points.

Richardson led Lee’s Summit West with 17 points, while Calloway contributed 12 before fouling out. LS West finished the season 22-6.

This story was originally published March 14, 2015 at 10:54 PM with the headline "Liberty girls beat Lee’s Summit West and advance to Missouri Class 5 semifinals."