Liberty Christian Takes Third in Tourney; Heads to State
By Derrick Forsythe, Record Sports Editor
Posted 11/7/19
The Liberty Christian basketball teams are currently competing in the Missouri Christian Schools Athletic Association Tournament in Joplin. Last weekend, stellar defense helped guide the Liberty …
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Liberty Christian Takes Third in Tourney; Heads to State
Posted
By Derrick Forsythe, Record Sports Editor
The Liberty Christian basketball teams are currently competing in the Missouri Christian Schools Athletic Association Tournament in Joplin.Last weekend, stellar defense helped guide the Liberty Christian boys basketball team to a third-place finish in the Metro Athletic Conference Tournament.The Eagles won two out of three games, beating Crosspoint Christian and Thomas Jefferson while falling to Bethel Christian.Liberty Christian opened with a 47-30 win over Crosspoint on Thursday, gradually pulling away after a tight first quarter.“I thought our kids did a pretty good job,” said Coach Butch Clark. “It was a typical No. 3 versus No. 6 first-round game.”Crosspoint led 13-12 after one period, but the Eagles began attacking the basket with success in the second quarter, moving ahead 28-18 by halftime.Junior Calvin Edwards was particularly effective inside, scoring 20 points on 9 of 12 shooting. He took advantage of a mismatch, grabbing 11 rebounds.“Calvin was really good in the post, and all of our guards did a really good job of getting him the ball,” said Clark.Junior Tanner Meyer scored 11 points.Liberty Christian followed on Friday with a 62-51 setback against Bethel Christian.“Bethel shot the ball extremely well,” said Clark. “I’m not sure our best game would have beaten them the way they were shooting.”Despite a relentless defensive effort by junior Luke Bruning, Bethel’s best player refused to be denied. Wes Parris had proven to be mortal during the team’s last meeting, but he appeared invincible on Friday.“He played at another level against us and took the game over,” said Clark. “He dialed it up a notch, and it was too much for us.”Bethel jumped out to a 15-9 lead after one quarter and led 26-22 at halftime.Bethel unloaded 25 points in the third quarter to cushion its margin.“They had about a three-minute run that killed us,” said Clark. “We could never get over the hump after that.”Edwards was again strong, netting 25 points and grabbing 15 rebounds.Meyer added 11 points.On Saturday, Liberty Christian topped Thomas Jefferson 36-22 in the third-place contest.“I thought we played a great game on defense,” said Clark. “When Luke was on (their best player), he really didn’t have any good shots.”Thomas Jefferson jumped out to a 10-8 lead before going scoreless during the second quarter.A very balanced scoring effort helped the Eagles to a 16-10 halftime lead.“They’re a tough team to play against,” said Clark. “They’ve got five quick guys who are willing to expend a lot of energy on defense.”Meyer was the only Liberty Christian to reach double figures with 10 points, but that wasn’t necessarily a concern for Clark. Six different players scored, showing the Eagles ability to spread the ball.“Our outside shooting just hasn’t developed the way I had hoped,” said Clark. “If we’re going to be successful, it’s going to have to come from the paint.”
The Liberty Christian basketball teams are currently competing in the state tournament in Joplin.
