Kickapoo Classic

The Liberty BlueJays had a good opening weekend of the 2010 basketball season by winning two out of three games at the Springfield Kickapoo Classic.
The Jays began play with a matchup against Springdale Har-ber. The Wildcats had already played 3 games so they had the first game 'jitters' out of the way. But that didn't phase the Jays as they raced to a 44-27 lead at halftime. They extended to 27 points during the second half and finished with a 82-59 final. Denton Koon and Jordan Lewis each had 18 points and Isaiah Norfleet had 12. Each member of the team scored in the game.
Friday night's game against Fayetteville, Ark. was a big test. With the largest lead of the game being 5 points, it was a back and forth battle. Down 1 with 10 seconds to play, the Jays had their chance but ended up losing 57-59. Again, the top 3 scorers were Koon, 20 pts; Lewis, 16 pts; and Norfleet, 13 pts.
Next the BlueJays faced St. Louis Imagine College Prep in a Saturday afternoon finale. They rebounded from a bitter defeat the night before by dominating the first quarter 23-13. However, the Bears bounced back and cut the lead to 2 by halftime. But the opening play in the 3rd quarter, a dunk by Koon, spurred on the Jays and they continued to execute well in the 2nd half and win 69-52. A huge performance by Kyle Rutliff, 16 points, and Lewis, 23 points helped the cause.
Lewis was selected for the All-Tournament Team for his outstanding play.
The Jays have no time to rest as they open up conference play at Cokely Fieldhouse on Tuesday night against one of the best teams in the Metro, Lee's Summit North. Tip-off is scheduled for 7pm.