LIBERTY — The Lady RedHawks were back in action on Thursday afternoon, hosting the Chester Hambletonians in an early evening game. Despite falling behind early, Liberty battled throughout the second half to close the gap as the team continues to grow.

After getting off to a slow start, Liberty found themselves trailing 10-4 at the end of the first quarter. Chester’s offense ramped up in the second quarter as the Hambletonians outscored the RedHawks 14-6 to take a 24-10 lead by halftime.

Despite trailing by as many as 18 early in the third quarter, Liberty continued to battle. The Lady RedHawks cut the lead to 16 before the final frame, in which their defense really began to settle in.

Liberty opened the final quarter by scoring eight consecutive points and cutting the lead down to 33-25. With multiple defensive stops and turnovers, the Lady RedHawks were able to keep Chester off balance.

Despite the late run, Chester was able to hold on to their lead, netting two late free throws to extend the lead back to ten before the final whistle.

“We have a young group,” Liberty Coach Tim Johnson said. “It’s going to take some time to get them up to speed, but they showed a lot of fight tonight and played with a lot of grit. There were a lot of good things tonight that we can build on.”

Liberty’s offense was led by Destiny Loyce, who scored 11 of the team’s points. Isabel O’Hare led Chester with a game-high 14 points.