Expectations are high and optimism abounds within the Liberty Christian boys basketball team, which has begun its second season under the direction of Coach Tanner Meyer.
The Eagles are off to a …
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Expectations are high and optimism abounds within the Liberty Christian boys basketball team, which has begun its second season under the direction of Coach Tanner Meyer.
The Eagles are off to a 2-1 start, following a 23-10 finish last season, in which they went 15-1 in Metro Athletic Conference play.
“I really don’t see a team in our conference being able to stack up against us,” said Meyer. “I think we’ve got a great shot at conference, because these guys have been working hard and eager to get in the gym.”
Two starters return to the fold, with junior Cole Christian at point guard and senior Josh Dames underneath the basket. Through the first three games, the duo is averaging 17.5 and 26.5 points, respectively, while combing for 16 rebounds per contest.
“Whoever has the hot hand, we kind of just ride it,” said Meyer.
Last season Christian averaged 13 points and three assists per game.
“He’s a good shooter and passer and sees the court well,” said Meyer. “He’s our facilitator.”
Dames was a dominant presence, contributing 21.8 points and five rebounds.
“Josh is good in the post and also is able to play guard a lot better now,” said Meyer. “We’ll put him in one-on-one situations and let him drive.”
The Eagles have several other experienced players stepping into starting roles and providing depth.
“I feel like we have seven strong players,” said Meyer. “There are guys who want to learn and be better, so that’s always promising.”
Also starting are senior Brayden Wilmsmeyer and junior Caleb Schneider.
“I’ve seen a lot of signs of him getting better,” said Meyer. “He’s excited to play, his shot is looking better and his finishing his shots better.”
Schneider has stepped into the defensive leadership role vacated by the graduation of David Vaclavik last year.
Junior Austin Kuehn could also provide significant minutes, coming off the bench in the sixth man role.
“He is good at getting rebounds and is really coachable,” said Meyer.
The type of defense the Eagles play will largely depend upon their ability to match up against the opponent they’re facing on any given night.
“I want to play man against our conference opponents, but when we’re playing against bigger opponents we’ll have to play a 2-3 zone, because we’re outmatched and don’t have enough people on the bench to handle foul trouble,” said Meyer.
Offensively, Liberty Christian will look to get a lot of people involved and test its range from beyond the perimeter as well.
“On offense we have a lot of guys who are able to read well, so we’re doing a lot of five outs and high lows,” said Meyer. “They’re all taking a lot of threes, which I’m fine with, because we’re always in the gym shooting.”
The Eagles have added several MSHSAA opponents to their schedule and will compete at Wright City, Cooter and Wellsville. A road trip to Clopton resulted in a narrow 52-47 setback for the Eagles on Nov. 24.
