Eagles take consolation trophy

The Liberty Eagles took part in the 2023 Family Pharmacy Panther Classic alongside teams from Willow Springs, Licking, Mountain Grove, Houston, Marshfield, Forsyth, Hartville, and Norwood.

The fourth-seeded Liberty Eagles faced the fifth-seeded Licking Wildcats. Liberty lost to a Wildcat buzzer beater with a final score of 65-67. Drew Ripko scored 25 points, Terrell Gaines 22, Lucas Frazier 9 points and 8 rebounds, and Carter Pruett 7 points and 9 rebounds.

The Eagles returned Friday to play the Mountain Grove Panthers. Terrell Gaines scored an impressive 37 points, Drew Ripko 22, Lucas Frazier 10, Gavin Reese 9, and Parker Tune 8 points and 6 rebounds for a win over Mountain Grove with a final score of 88-68.

The varsity boys moved on to face the Marshfield Blue Jays Saturday afternoon. Terrell Gaines scored 31 points, Drew Ripko 23, Parker Tune 9 points and 10 rebounds, and Gavin Reese 8 points and 6 rebounds. The Eagles defeated the Class 5 Blue Jays 74-57 and brought home the bittersweet consolation victory.

Forsyth took first place over Hartville in the championship battle, 51-40

Liberty Junior Varsity faced the Licking Wildcats in the first round of the tournament. They fell short of a win, losing to Licking with a final score of 47-54. Drayton Wells scored 16 points and Landon Hines scored 12. They went on to face the Mountain Grove Panthers on Friday. Landon Hines scored 12 points and Brayden Mays scored 9 points for the Eagles, but it wasn't enough. Mountain Grove beat the Junior Varsity Eagles with a final score of 47-40.