By Kory CarpenterRecord Sports EditorLiberty Christian Head Coach Butch Clark doesn’t like to think about how last season ended.The Eagles reached the finals of the Missouri Christian Schools Athletic Association State Tournament for the second straight year, and they were looking for their first state title.They had the ball with under a minute left in a tie game, but couldn’t score, eventually losing in overtime.“The good news is we made it, the bad news is we didn’t win,” Clark said. “There probably isn’t a week that goes by that you don’t think about it. You go back and second-guess yourself on what you should have done.”Clark lost all-state performers Tanner Meyer and Calvin Edwards to graduation, and returns a talented roster that lacks star-power.At least for now.“Calvin was a great post player and Tanner was a great point guard, and I’m not sure you can replace them,” Clark said. “That doesn’t mean this team can’t be better than that team, we just have to go about it a different way.”The Eagles started the season 7-0 and are undefeated in the Metro Athletic Conference.Getting another shot at a state title might be the ultimate goal, but a conference championship is on the players’ minds at the moment.“I think it’s a possibility,” senior guard Brendan Dickson said. “We’ve played the two toughest teams already and beat them. I honestly think the only team that can beat us is ourselves.”Dickson leads the Eagles with 13.6 points per game, and is one of two seniors on the roster.Junior forward Jake Pietzman is averaging 12.2 points and 7.4 rebounds, and four other players average at least six points thus far.It is that type of balance that Clark believes can lead Liberty Christian to a conference championship.“I think we have seven different kids that can start,” he said. “I can name them all, and in seven games we’ve had different guys carry us.”The Eagles are nearly halfway to their goal of winning 20 games, and are currently tied for first place in the MAC with Providence Classical.Dickson credits the team’s work ethic in the offseason for the fast start.“I don’t think we’ve ever worked this hard leading up to a season,” he said. “In the past, we’ve kind of relied on our superstars, but this year we don’t really have those superstars. There’s a hero every other game.”Clark said he has yet to see a complete offensive performance, but he expects everything to click in the coming days.Dickson wants to close out games better and limit turnovers.Despite seeing mistakes that want to be fixed, Liberty Christian continues to roll as it strives for a state title.“I’ve been looking forward to this group because I knew what was coming,” Clark said. “They play together as a team really well.”

Members of the Liberty boys basketball team are, from left, Brendan Dickson, Logan Hart, Kameron Bagby, Jacob Vaclavik, Jake Pietzman and Andrew Voss. Not pictured: Josh Summers, Braeden Grow and Kaleb Bagby.                  Kory Carpenter photo.