The Liberty Christian boys basketball team had to fend off an extra opponent Saturday – history.
Facing Metro Athletic Conference foe Westwood Baptist of Cape Girardeau in the Missouri …
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The Liberty Christian boys basketball team had to fend off an extra opponent Saturday – history.
Facing Metro Athletic Conference foe Westwood Baptist of Cape Girardeau in the Missouri Christian Schools Athletic Association (MCSAA) state championship game, Liberty was battling against a seven-game losing streak over the past four years.
Many of those games weren’t close, either. Westwood’s wins came at an average margin of 31.8 points per game.
When it mattered to cap this season, though, Liberty turned the tables in the 74-57 win in the title game played in Joplin. Junior guard Phoenix Obermann said that the ability to send the program’s seniors – Tommy Meyer and Willy Mueller – out as champions added something extra to breaking up Westwood’s dominance.
“It means a lot to win this championship,” Obermann said. “The fact that we, as a school, hadn’t beaten them in four years, but did when it mattered, meant a lot. I’m really glad that Tommy and Willy got to add a championship to their belt as seniors.”
The win gave Liberty (24-8) its fifth MCSAA state championship, joining top finishes in 2007, 2013, 2018 and 2019.
In the title win, Liberty had two things going for it. First, the team’s defense held Westwood in check, and second, junior guard Ryder Carlisle went to work.
Westwood (26-3), a team that scored 70 points or more 10 times in the regular season, trailed 17-11 after the first quarter, 33-22 at halftime and 46-30 after the third quarter. The team’s defense was noteworthy, Liberty Coach Butch Clark said. He added that Westwood senior guard Robbie Dodd, who entered the game averaging 17.4 points per game, was largely held in check.
“Tommy and Willy totally dominated the defensive boards the first three quarters,: Clark said. “Phoenix and Willy were defended hard yesterday but still managed to come up with big plays.”
While Liberty’s top two in Obermann and Mueller closely guarded, Carlisle made the most of his chance to step up and help his team.
Carlisle led the Eagles with 21 points, including a perfect four-of-four from behind the 3-point arc.
“Ryder was the difference this weekend,” Clark said. “He played outstanding defense and had 21 points and no turnovers.”
After Carlisle, Liberty got 19 points and 13 rebounds from Mueller, 16 points and 10 rebounds from Meyer and 13 points from Obermann.
“You always hope your team is going to play its best game of the season when it matters most, but that rarely happens,” Clark said. “I think we did that.”
