John Towle stumbled across the name of a high school he had never heard of while researching schools five years ago. He had spent years as an assistant basketball coach at large suburban high schools on the east side of the Twin Cities and was hoping to find a private school where he could finish his coaching career.

One name caught his attention. Liberty Classical Academy in White Bear Lake.

Towle has been involved in Minnesota prep basketball for nearly four decades and lives reasonably close to that school, but he knew nothing about it.

“I looked to see if they had basketball,” he said.

They did. Towle sent a letter to school officials, which led to an interview, which led to a job offer, which led to Towle’s boys basketball squad becoming the first Liberty Classical team in any sport to qualify for a state tournament. The Lions’ debut is their Class 1A quarterfinal against Red Lake County at 5 p.m. on Thursday, March 26, at Target Center.

Liberty plays home games on what might be the smallest varsity court in Minnesota. The Lions have one of the state’s top scorers in Sam Rupnow, who is averaging 29.2 points per game. They are 27-2 and have outscored opponents by more than 1,000 points. Their starting lineup is filled with athletic players who throw down impressive dunks.

Never heard of the school? Don’t worry. They get that a lot. They plan on using the Class 1A state tournament as their own advertisement.

“We want to win the whole thing,” senior guard Ethan Richter said. “Not just be at Target Center and admire the other teams.”

Liberty is a multi-denominational school that opened in 2003 with only 28 students in grades K-8. The school has expanded to 420 students in preschool through 12th grade.

The school is relocating to Hugo next year after buying 73 acres surrounding an existing elementary school. They’re building a new campus that will include a gym with a regulation-sized court.

Though excited to have a sparkling new facility, the Lions also know they will be giving up a distinct home-court advantage.

Their current court has the smallest dimensions (74 feet long, 47 feet wide) allowed by the Minnesota State High School League. A normal varsity court is 84 feet long; college and NBA courts are 94 feet.

Liberty’s court is essentially the size of those found in elementary school gyms, which feels claustrophobic with 10 teenagers crammed onto it.

“It drives other teams crazy,” Towle said. “And I love that.”

Rupnow was taken aback the first time he walked into the gym.

“I was like, ‘Oh my goodness,’” he said.

The court is wide enough to shoot corner three-pointers, but just barely. It’s best to have small feet for extra room.

Opponents new to the surroundings inevitably commit turnovers by stepping on the boundary lines.

“At least five a game,” Richter said.

The Lions love to press in their gym because the shrunken court makes opponents feel like they’re stuffed into a crowded elevator.

“If we’re going to have a home-court advantage,” Towle said, “we’re going to [use] a home-court advantage.”

The team practices at Washington Tech in St. Paul twice a week to get comfortable on a normal-sized court. Playing state tournament games at Target Center might feel like running free in a one-acre field.

“I like it because I’m a shooter,” said Richter, who averages 20.6 points per game. “I like the extra foot or two.”

Towle sold this vision for the program to Richter and Rupnow when they were in eighth grade and considering high school options. Rupnow grew up attending Stillwater schools. Richter was a Liberty student but played youth sports for White Bear Lake’s association. They were childhood buddies through their parents’ friendship.

They chose Liberty in part because they believed in Towle’s commitment to building a successful program. Four years later, they’ve made school history by reaching state.

“You can see we’ve got players,” Rupnow said.

Rupnow is the headliner, a 6-2 senior guard who is built like a running back. He is a muscular athlete who explodes off the floor and scores from everywhere on the court.

“He has a motor that other guys don’t,” Towle said. “He has another gear.”

Rupnow didn’t build his physique in the school’s weight room, because Liberty doesn’t have a weight room. Players squeeze in workouts at a local YMCA before or after practice.

Liberty has had a few athletes qualify for state tournaments as individuals in golf and track over the years, but never a full team until now.

“We want banners,” Rupnow said. “That’s our goal.”

Championship banners to hang on walls in their gymnasium — the new gym that is coming soon with the big, beautiful court. They expect to be tough to beat on that one, too.