It has not been a perfect season for the Liberty Christian boys basketball team, and Head Coach Butch Clark sees plenty of room for improvement. “I’d rather be 13-0,” he said with a laugh …
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It has not been a perfect season for the Liberty Christian boys basketball team, and Head Coach Butch Clark sees plenty of room for improvement.
“I’d rather be 13-0,” he said with a laugh Monday. “But we’re better than I thought we’d be right now.”
The Eagles (13-1) have won six straight games after demolishing Community Christian Tuesday night, 103-28.
The rotation is thin, but balanced.
Seven players get regular minutes, five of which average at least seven points.
Junior guard Jake Pietzman leads the team with 13.5 points and four assists, while averaging 7.5 rebounds.
“Jake has not shot as well as he’s played, but he hustles and does a good job on the boards,” Clark said. “He is gritty on defense and he gives us a fire that we need. Sometimes he gives us a little too much fire, but he plays with a lot of passion. It’s easier to dial a kid down than amp him up.”
Junior forward Kameron Bagby leads the team with 8.4 rebounds, but Clark recognized his team’s height shortcomings early in the season.
Clark decided to pack in his zone defense, rather than trapping fullcourt.
“We’ve then trapped out of that,” he said. “We’ve taken away the middle and made teams shoot outside.”
The new defensive philosophy has helped the Eagles offense score in transition, and the team is averaging 57.9 points.
Freshman guard Andrew Voss is second on the team with 12 points per game.
“He has had his moments,” Clark said. “He had a couple really good games, then struggled a bit before the break. But that’s what freshmen do. There’s been times where he’s played more like a senior than a freshman.”
Voss and Pietzman have carried the team of late, while senior guard Brendan Dickson and sophomore guard Logan Hart played key roles earlier in the season.
“They play well together,” Clark said. “If you break them down individually, it does not look like they should be doing as well as they are doing. The sum adds up a lot better than the individuals.”
Most of the roster has been playing together since middle school, and Clark believes the familiarity helps on the court.
Liberty Christian has benefited from its balance through 13 games, as four different players have led the team in scoring.
“Some nights you will be looking for someone to take a big shot, and hopefully it’s the right guy,” Clark said. “It is always nice to have a go-to guy, but we probably don’t have that this year. In some ways it’s better, some ways it’s not.”
Liberty Christian hosts Crosspoint Christian Friday at 7:30 p.m.
HEAD UP — Freshman guard Andrew Voss looks for an open teammate in a game earlier this season. Voss is second on the team with 12 points per game. Kory Carpenter photo.
