Jays Spoil Wildcats' Courtwarming

The Liberty Blue Jays beat the Blue Springs Wildcats Friday night by the score of 60-45 but the game was much closer than the final score. After neither team could find the basket in the first 3 minutes of the game, the Jays' offense started clicking and they jumped out to a comfortable lead. However, the Wildcats didn't go away and cut the the Jays' lead to only 2 points by halftime.

Then again, in the 3rd quarter, the Blue Jays used a very solid defensive performance and good shooting to mount a 14 point lead only to see it diminish to 43-41 by early in the fourth. Fortunately, the Jays played their best basketball in the 4th quarter ending the game on a 17-4 run to finish with a 15 point win.

"We played our best basketball when we defended hard, got a great rebound, kicked it out to Marshon (Norfleet), and then finished with an easy layup. I thought Marshon did a good job of pushing the tempo. Jordan Lewis' three point basket when the score was 43-41 was huge. And Denton Koon's ability to shake off a rough start and finish with his career high was impressive," remarked assistant coach Phil Simpson.

Koon ended with 26 points, and Lewis had 14. Norfleet ended with 6 points but also added 11 rebounds and 7 assists.

The Jays move out of conference for 2 games next week, Grandview on Monday (at Cokely) and then at Park Hill South on Wednesday before finishing the week back in conference play vs Lee's Summit North at home on Friday.

The JV Jays outcame a slow start (down 13-2 to begin the game) and won the game by 8 points. "Our players regrouped at halftime, showed better intensity, and a will to win in the second half. We'll need to play more consistently over a 32 minute game to be successful next week," stated JV head coach Joe Price.

McCabe Tabbed for LNHS Job

We are very proud to announce that current Blue Jay assistant coach Chris McCabe will be named the first boys' basketball head coach at Liberty North high school. McCabe, who's in his fourth year in the Liberty program, is a tremendous hire for the Eagles. He began his coaching career as a student assistant coach in college. He spent one year at Johnson County Community College, under Mike Jeffers, and three years at Kansas State, under Jim Wooldridge. Since then he's been the offensive coordinator for the Jays basketball team.

Here's what McCabe has to say about his appointment:

What are your thoughts about getting the job?
“It’s been my dream since I was a kid to be a head coach and I am very appreciative of this opportunity. While there is certainly a lot of work to be done at North, I am focused on giving the current program my best effort, just as our staff demands from our players every day.”

What are you looking forward to @ LNHS?
“I am excited to start from ground up in building and establishing a program that players will want to be a part of and the community will embrace. Our unselfishness and toughness on the court will make us a team that all basketball fans will respect and want to watch. Our players will leave Liberty North better basketball players but most importantly, better people.”


Any other comments?
“Obviously, I am ecstatic about the opportunity to lead my own program. I have been blessed with amazing people, both personally and professionally, who have helped prepare me for this opportunity and I am very grateful to each one of them. I’ll make them proud.”

Supporting McCabe in his future endeavour will be his wife, Melynda, a business teacher at LHS.

Blue Jays Capture Title of Stessman Tourney

The Liberty Blue Jays won the CW Stessman Tournament Friday night by beating Olathe East 53-45. It complied a solid tourney week for the Jays. They beat three quality teams in winning the championship. "I said before the tourney started, that this is one of the best tournaments in the region and I believe that was evident this week. I witnessed some very good teams, who were well coached. It led to some great match ups and exciting basketball. We were fortunate to win it. It took a lot of effort and concentration," stated Coach Stirtz.
The Jays battled their way to a 3 point halftime lead, 20-17. After the Jays got off to a quick start with leads of 8-2 and 14-8, the Hawks of Olathe East played well in the second quarter and cut the deficit to 3 by half. The Hawks came out early in the 3rd quarter to capture the lead by knocking down some deep threes. Then it was the Jays turn with big 3s by Marshon Norfleet and Christian Brinser to regain the lead. The Hawks closed the quarter with 2 impressive dunks but Bryan Adams had the final say with a rebound, full court speed dribble and jam at the buzzer to pull the Jays within 2 points 33-35 heading into the final 8 minutes.
In the fourth quarter, the Jays played their best basketball at both ends of the floor scoring 20 points and holding Olathe East to 10 points. JT Nixon's opening shot of the quarter, a 3 from the top of the key, continued the momentum given to the Jays by Adams' dunk. Then some outstanding hustle plays by Norfleet, Adams, and Nixon allowed the Jays to get second shots at the basket and extend the advantage. Jordan Lewis' free throws (4-4) helped the Jays seal the win. Denton Koon's 15 pt, 9 rebound effort led the way.
Koon's play during the week earned him a spot on the All-tourney team and Nixon's selfless hustle and defensive toughness won him the Hustle Award.
"We're proud of our squad. The defensive effort and concentration is improving. We're taking steps in the right direction. Offensively, we're taking better care of the ball, getting to the foul line more often and our spacing and picks are progressing in the motion offense. Now it's time to take what we've accomplished this week and build upon it in the upcoming weeks," remarked Coach McCabe.

Adams' buzzer beating dunk:

Jays Teams Reach Title Games

The Varisty and Junior Varsity teams will play for a couple of championships of their respective tournaments tonight and tomorrow. The varsity team won a semifinal game in the CW Stessman tourney 63-39 over Leavenworth. The team defensive play of the Jays led to the victory. Individually, Denton Koon and JT Nixon played excellent defense. Four BlueJays were in double figures with Marcus Lucas at 13 pts, Koon with 12 pts, Marshon Norfleet with 11 pts, and Jordan Lewis with 10 pts.
The Jays will meet a very good Olathe East team in the title game tonight at Cokely at 8:30pm.
The Junior Varsity team beat the host school, William Chrisman, in their semifinal game Thursday night. With multiple players in double digit scoring, the Jays look to take some momentum into the championship game against Truman on Sat., at noon, at Chrisman HS.
Go Jays!

KMBC Ch 9 Selects Jays as 'Team in Focus'

The Liberty basketball program welcomed Karen Kornacki and the Ch 9 sports team to practice on Wednesday. KMBC selected the Jays as their 'Team in Focus' this week. Look for the story to air on the 6pm and 10pm newscasts on Thursday.


"It's a nice honor for our players and our program to be recognized," stated Coach Simpson. "The team has worked hard to get where we are, but there's still a lot more we want to accomplish this season. We appreciate the effort of Ch 9 helping to promote not only our program, but high school sports in general."


Ms. Kornacki mentioned it's always fun to do features on high school players/teams. "They're happy to see us because it's something they don't experience on this level everyday. The players I normally talk with are professional athletes and although our pro teams in Kansas City are great to work with, sometimes players view talking with the media as a requirement of the job. That isn't the case with high school athletes. They are excited about it and see it as a 'treat' to be on TV."


Kornacki went on to say that she feels it's an expectation of a local news station to feature local teams and stories. "We're a member of the community and we want our viewers to know about all the outstanding individual and team talent our area."

Check out the feature at the following website: http://www.kmbc.com/video/22309236/index.html

Team Play Helps South Valley Reach Success

This is the fourth of a four part series about our Junior High programs at Liberty. They teams combine for a 70-4 overall record. Great Job!

The SVJH 9th boys team has gotten off to a great start thus far. The highlight win of the year to this point probably came last Tuesday night with a one point win over Ray-Pec. SVJH trailed by one with about 30 seconds to go, but hit a shot with 8 seconds left to take the lead for good. I’d have to say there have been three key strengths for our team so far on the season. First and foremost all of our guys give a great effort every day in practice and it reflects in the games. They play hard at all times and that always gives them a chance to succeed. Another quality about these guys is their willingness to share the basketball. They’ve been a very unselfish bunch of guys who always make the extra pass to get a better look at the basket. The last quality that seems to stick out to me is their ability to play at a fast pace, but yet they still make good decisions. It’s a fine line between playing fast, smart basketball and playing out of control.

South Valley Dominating Opponents

This is the third of a four part series about our Junior High programs at Liberty. They teams combine for a 70-4 overall record. Great Job!

The 8th grade South Valley Blue Jays are off to a great start. We are off to an 8-1 record with only 2 ½ more weeks left to play. We have averaged 51 points per game while holding our opponents to only 20 points per game. Our only loss came on a double overtime loss to Grandview who went on to win the Liberty Invitational tournament. We went on to beat Smith-Hale and finish 3rd in the tournament.
This team plays very well together. We have good size in the post, good athletes on the wings and great guard play. We play a high energy game always forcing the opponent to play our style of game. If you come to watch one of our games you will see every game start with high levels of defensive pressure and then a run and gun style of offense. This team is determined to finish the year as just as strong as we started it.

LJHS Freshman Are On A Roll

This is the second of a four part series about our Junior High programs at Liberty. They teams combine for a 70-4 overall record. Great Job!

Liberty Junior High Freshmen Boys Basketball

A Team (11-0)
The LJH Freshmen boys are off to a great start. The Blue Jays started their season with a 40 point win over Oak Park and haven’t slowed down. The team went on to win the Park Hill tournament beating Winnetonka in the championship game. This year’s team has played great defense throughout the year only giving up an average of 29.7ppg. The Jays are also beating their opponents by an average of 15ppg. All players have contributed and competed very well and continue to work hard as the second half of the season rolls around.


B Team (7-1)

The Liberty Junior High Boys B team has had a great 1st half of the season. Their record stands at 7-1. Each game has been a true team effort with the scoring and defensive play being spread around to quite a few different players each game. They have been winning by an average of 13 points per game while only giving up a salty 25 to their opponents. There are some true competitors on this team, which is easy to see by the great effort that is put forth every night. They are looking to improve on their record and play the 2nd half of the season and love to have fun on the court!

Note: If you would like to catch the boys in action there are two more home games left on the schedule: Wednesday, January 20th and Friday, January 22nd. All home games start at 5:00pm. You can expect to see them diving around the court, playing hard, and most importantly playing as a team.

LJHS 8th Grade Teams Having Success

This is the first of a four part series about our Junior High programs. The JH programs at Liberty are a combined 70-4 currently. Great Job!

The 8th grade teams at Liberty Junior High have started the season strong. The A team is off to an 8-1 start, while the B team is a perfect 9-0.

The A team has allowed under 30 points per game defensively and relied on a balanced scoring attack to post a 50 point per game average. The team’s only loss came in the championship game of the Liberty Invitational.

The B team easily won the championship of the Smith-Hale Tournament and recently has earned hard fought, come from behind victories in the fourth quarter against Lakeview and Delta Woods.

Both teams are working hard to finish the season the same way they have started it.

St Joe Central Game Rescheduled

The game between St Joe Central and the BlueJay that was postponed due to the weather has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 27th. The Junior Varsity game will begin at 5:30 and the varsity game will follow.
The sophomore game between Oak Park and the Jays will not be rescheduled.
Up next for the Jays will be Blue Springs South at home on Friday, Jan 15th at Cokely Fieldhouse.

Cancellations/Postponements

Here is a list of cancellations &/or postponements for our program for Jan 7th & 8th:

• No practice for any team today
• Sophomore game vs Oak Park today has been postponed
• Varsity team dinner set for tonight has been postponed
• JV/Varsity game set for Friday night vs SJC has been postponed
• Practice for Friday, Jan 8th has been cancelled
• Practice on Saturday, Jan 9th will be from 3:00-5:30pm

Please be safe and stay warm. Varsity players should have access to the LSN game on HUDL.

Lucas Enjoying Army All-Star Week

Senior basketball forward and standout wide receiver for the Jays, Marcus Lucas is enjoying his week long trip to San Antoino, TX for the high school Army All-Star game. The Missouri Tiger recruit was selected to participate in the event due to an outstanding high school career.

The week has featured about 4 hours of practice per day against some of the best high school players in the nation. "It's a lot different. The competition is very good. For example, we have linebackers that can run like wide receivers and our left tackle is 6'8", 340 lbs. This experience will help me adjust to the collegiate level, " states Lucas.

There's much to do besides football. Each player is partnered with an 'Army Hero'...a military person who has experienced an overseas tour of duty. "It's just an amazing opportunity to learn from them and to gain some understanding of what all they have done for our country."

Lucas has kept in touch with his basketball teammates this week. In fact, he was immediately called during the locker room celebration after JT Nixon's 3-point shot at the buzzer that beat LSN Tuesday night 55-54.

The All-Star game will be televised on NBC is Saturday, Jan 9th at Noon. Joining Lucas at the game will be Head Coach Joel Wells and number of Jays' assistant coaches. Good luck Marcus!

Mid-Season Tourneys Announced

In what could be one of the toughest tournaments in the region, the CW Stessman Invitional will be a tourney that basketball fans will love to attend. Cokely Fieldhouse will host the tournament which is set for Jan 19th, 21st, and 22nd.

On the top side of the bracket, Liberty hosts '09 tourney champions Lee's Summit West at 7pm and the #3 ranked team in Kansas, Leavenworth will battle Fort Osage @ 8:30pm. The winners of these games will play at 7pm on Jan 21st and the losers will play at 4pm on the same date.

The lower half of the bracket features Raytown South against St. Joe Central at 4pm and then 4-1 Olathe East verses Center at 5:30pm. All first round games will be Jan 19th. The winners will play each other in the semifinals on Jan 21st at 8:30 and the losers play at 5:30pm.

"We are very pleased with the quality teams we have in tournament this year, states Coach Stirtz. It is going to be very competitive and multiple teams have opportunities to win it. We are looking forward to an exciting week of basketball."

The BlueJay JV team will participate in the William Chrisman tournament the week of Jan 18th. The Jays face off against Belton at 1:30 on the 18th. If the Jays win, they will play Thursday, Jan 21st at 5pm. The championship round is slated for Saturday, Jan 23rd at William Chrisman HS.

Nixon's Timely 3 Wins It For Jays

Down by 2 points and the clock nearing 00.0, JT Nixon calmly drained a 25 ft three-point shot to allow the Jays to escape with a one point victory against Lee's Summit North last night. With under 8 seconds to go, Liberty grabbed a rebound off a missed free-throw by LSN, outleted the ball to Jordan Lewis, who sprinted the ball up court and found a wide open Nixon. JT did what he does best and made the shot as the buzzer went off.

After a slow start to the game by Liberty's offense, they were 11 pts down at one point in the first quarter, the defense played better to allow the Jays to remain close. A solid 2nd quarter brought Liberty back within 4 pts at halftime; 27-31. The Jays used a very good 3rd quarter to take the lead. They got a lot of points in the paint, 6 by Denton Koon, and offensive putbacks. In particular, Marshon Norfleet rose to the occasion.

However, the Broncos would not go away and with offensive rebounds and interior points of their own, they reclaimed the lead during crunch time.

Both teams battled down the stretch making some great plays at both ends of the floor. But it was Nixon and the Jays who had the ball last and they made it happen when it mattered the most.

Jays Host Youth Clinic

The Liberty Basketball team hosted a Youth Basketball Clinic on Saturday as part of a fundraiser for their program. Over 80 boys, grades Kindergarten through 5th grade, performed fundamental drills, defensive work, and game competition.

Thanks for supporting our program and best wishes to the future Jays during their basketball seasons.