Liberty is 1-9 against Heritage since January of 2020 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Liberty Lions will be playing in front of their home fans against the Heritage Patriots at 6:30 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Liberty is headed in fresh off scoring the most points they have all season. They claimed a resounding 76-36 victory over Deer Valley. The high-flying offensive performance was a huge turnaround for the Lions considering their 18-point performance the game before.
It was another big night for Shyanne Smith, who went 8 for 18 to rack up 20 points and five steals. Leosha Baker was another key player, dropping a double-double with 12 points and 11 boards.
Liberty smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 20 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in December of 2024.
Meanwhile, Heritage earned a 53-41 win over Antioch on Tuesday. Given the Patriots' advantage in MaxPreps' California basketball rankings (they are ranked 245th, while the Panthers are ranked 501st), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Liberty better keep an eye on Kennedy Kell. She was instrumental in Heritage's win, going 5 of 12 on her way to 15 points. Those 15 points gave Kell a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Nella Toeaina, who posted nine points and five rebounds.
Liberty's victory ended a 12-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 8-17. As for Heritage, they are on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten contests, which provided a massive bump to their 15-10 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Liberty has been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 31.1 boards per game. However, it's not like Heritage struggles in that department as they've been averaging 38 rebounds. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Liberty came up short against Heritage in their previous matchup back in January, falling 55-51. Will Liberty have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other basketball content.
