Jays Finish Strong, Taking 3rd Place

Liberty was able to take care of Lee's Summit West in the 3rd place game of the Unilever Tournament in Jefferson City, defeating the Titans 48-30. The Jays (7-3, 2-0) used another great defensive effort to stiffle West. In three games in the tournament Liberty allowed only 93 points (31 points per game), allowing them to finish 2-1 for the week.

Jenna Turner and Kelsey Goff were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Liberty will jump right back into Big 7 action on Monday when they face the defending conference champions Blue Springs at home at 7:00 p.m.

Jays Open Unilever Tourney With Win Over Helias

The Liberty Blue Jays opened the Jefferson City Unilever Holiday Tournament with a very impressive 47-22 win over Jefferson City Helias. Liberty (6-2, 2-0) and Helias played even through the first quarter but the Jays opened up the game in the third quarter and never looked back. Liberty will now face Columbia Rock Bridge in the semi-finals at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

Jays Get Another Sweep

Liberty got another three team sweep on Monday night as the C Team beat Belton and the Junior Varisty and Varsity teams both beat Notre Dame de Sion.

In the Varsity game the Jays (5-2, 2-0) were able to use a big second and third quarter to get a 17 point lead and then hold off a comeback by Sion to win the game 50-43. This was the first time in two years that Liberty has defeated Sion and it got the Jays back on the winning track. Liberty will now enjoy the Christmas break for three days before they get back to work on December 26th. The Varsity team will be traveling to Jefferson City to play in the Unilever Holiday Tournament December 28th through December 30th. Liberty will open up the tournament against Jefferson City Helias at 4:00 p.m. on the 28th.

Jays Struggle Against Aquinas

Liberty (4-2, 2-0) struggled out of the gates in both halves and Aquinas took full advantage, defeating the Jays 46-26 in the Metro Sports/Hy-Vee Shootout. Liberty could only muster two points in the first quarter and then did not score in the third quarter, trailing 39-12 going into the fourth quarter. Liberty made a little push in the final period and finally got some shots to fall, closing the gap to the final score of 20 points.

The rough stretch of games continue on Monday when the Jays will host Notre Dame de Sion at 7:00 p.m. This game will finish off a stretch of 7 games in 12 days with only one day off to rest their legs. After the Notre Dame de Sion game the Jays will get a few days off for the Christmas break before jumping right back into action on December 28th when they travel to Jefferson City for the Unilever Classic where they will face Jefferson City Helias at 4:00 p.m. in the first round.

Jays Move To 2-0 In Big 7 Play

Liberty (4-1, 2-0) stayed undefeated in Suburban Big 7 play by defeating St. Joseph Central on the road Wednesday night in overtime, 31-28. This win was preceeded by a another very close, 38-36, win at home against Lee's Summit on Monday night.

The Jays will be back in action again Friday when they play St. Thomas Aquinas in the Metro Sports/Hy-Vee Shootout. The game will be played at 7:00 p.m. on the campus of Avila University and can be seen live on Metro Sports.

Big Seven Play Begins Monday

Liberty will begin their quest to win the Suburban Big Seven Conference on Monday when they host Lee's Summit. The C Team (1-1) will begin the night with a 4:00 p.m. start followed by the Junior Varsity (2-0) at 5:30 p.m. then the Varsity (2-1) game at 7:00 p.m. Last season Liberty finished 8-4 in Big Seven play and look to improve on that number this season.

Jays Finish 2-1 In Kickapoo Classic

It took an extra eight minutes but the Liberty Blue Jays defeated O'Hara 61-54 on the third day of the Kickapoo Classic in Springfield, Missouri. Liberty jumped out quick to start the game and led 29-21 at halftime but O'Hara answered quickly in the third quarter to take the lead going into the fourth quarter. O'Hara had a three point lead with 45 seconds to play before Sami Wynne (SR) hit one of her three 3 pointers of the night to tie the game. The first overtime saw Liberty again jump out quick but some timely shooting from O'Hara sent the game to another overtime. In the second overtime Liberty got out early and never looked back. With the win Liberty is now 2-1 on the season and will play their home opener on Monday at 7:00 p.m. against Lee's Summit.

Defending State Champs Knock Off Jays

Liberty played the 2nd night of the Kickapoo Classic, losing to defending Class 5 State Champion Nixa, 50-40. The Jays fell behind 9-0 to start the game but battled back to cut the lead to 3 points, only to have Nixa score a basket at the buzzer before halftime to take a 23-18 lead at the break. Nixa built their up to as many as 13 points in the second half but Liberty fought back to cut the lead to six points with two minutes to play. Nixa hit free throws down the stretch to ice the game. Liberty plays tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. against O'Hara.

Jays Open Season With Victory

Liberty opened the 2009-2010 season with a very good win on the road at the Kickapoo High School Classic in Springfield, Missouri. Liberty defeated host team Kickapoo 44-40 in the first game of the Classic. It was a very hard fought and physical game, but the Jays made enough plays down the stretch and iced the game with free throws to hold off the Chiefs.

Jays Point Guard Off To Argentina

Everyone in the Liberty program is very excited for the Jays point guard, junior Kaysie Clark, as she left today for Argentina. Clark has the extraordinary opportunity to play in the Under 17 World Cup Soccer Qualifier for team USA. She is one of 18 players to represent the United States in Argentina, with the hopes of making the final cut and being a part of the team in the Under 17 World Cup in October 2010.

"This is a very prestigious honor and shows just how good of an athlete and competitor Kaysie is," said head coach Mike Morley. "We are so proud of her and wish her the best of luck this week in Argentina."

C Team Opens Season Strong

The Lady Jays C team opened up the 2009-2010 season with a 44-21 win over Lee's Summit North on Wednesday night. The two teams went back and forth in the first quarter but Liberty was able to pull away in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. Liberty's biggest lead of the night was 26 points in the 4th quarter. The Jays (1-0) will play again next Wednesday when they travel to face Truman.

Coach Dell & C Team Open Season Wednesday

The C Team will begin their season on Wednesday, December 2nd at 5:30 p.m. when they host Lee's Summit North. The C Team is made up of sophomores and juniors and is coached by Isaiah Dell. The Jays were supposed to open on November 30th but the game had to be changed to later in the season due to a low number players for Lee's Summit West.

JV Rolls In Championship

The Liberty JV team rolled to a championship victory over Truman on Tuesday night in the Liberty JV Tournament. The Jays defeated the Patriots 44-7 and moved to 2-0 on the season. Liberty will be back in action again on Monday, December 14th when they host Lee's Summit at 5:30 p.m.

JV Opens Season With Win

The Liberty Junior Varsity team opened up the 2009-2010 season with an impressive 35-23 win over Notre Dame de Sion on Monday night. The Jays (1-0) looked very good in the opener, executing the newly implemented offensive system and building off their first two weeks of practice. Because of the early date of the tournament the JV team has had to practice for 14 days in a row but the girls showed no signs of fatigue.

After a very solid first quarter that saw Liberty lead 11-2, de Sion made a late run in the second quarter to close the gap to 15-10 at halftime. The third quarter went back and forth and Liberty was able to maintain their lead going into the final stanza. In the fourth quarter Liberty's defensive pressure finally broke down de Sion and the Jays were able to pull away for the 13 point victory.

Liberty will now face Truaman tonight in the championship game of the tournament. Truman was able to handle Platte County in the other semifinal game Monday, 36-14.

Junior Varsity Season Begins Tonight

The Junior Varsity season begins tonight for the Lady Jay program. Liberty is hosting the annual JV tournament and will face off against Notre Dame de Sion at 6:30 p.m.

Blue-White Scrimmage A Success

The girls played in the Blue-White Scrimmage on Friday night. The first game of the night was a split-squad game of Junior Varsity and C Team players. Players were shuffled in and out and switched teams as the game was in progress so the coaches had a chance to see different combonations on the court. Between the JV/C game and JV/Varsity game was a 3 point contest between the boy's team and the girl's team. Maddie Mason, Sami Wynne, Rachel Horton and Jenna Turner were the shooters for the girl's team. All four shooters did a great job but fell just short to the boy's team, 31-28. After the 3 point contest the JV and varsity teams played a split-squad game. Again, like the first game, players were shuffled in and out and switched teams during the 16 minute game.

The Jays first JV game of the season will take place on Monday, November 23rd at 6:30 p.m. against Notre Dame de Sion.

Parent Meeting/Blue-White Scrimmage

On Friday, November 20th there will be a Parent Meeting for all parents of players in the high school basketball program. The meeting will start at 5:30 p.m. in the LHS Cafeteria. The meeting will be followed by a Blue-White Scrimmage, where the Junior Varsity and C Team will scrimmage for 15 minutes and then the Varsity team will scrimmage against themselves for 20 minutes.

5:30-6:30 - Parent Meeting (LHS Cafeteria)
6:30-6:40 - Intorduction of Boy's team
6:40-6:52 - Sophomore Boy's Scrimmage
6:52-7:00 - Introduction of Girl's team
7:00-7:15 - JV/C Girl's Scrimmage
7:15-7:30 - JV Boy's Scrimmage
7:30-7:40 - 3 Point Contest
7:40-8:00 - Varsity Girl's Scrimmage
8:00-8:20 - Varsity Boy's Scrimmage
8:20-8:45 - Fan Shoot: $1 to shoot for a t-shirt

Practice Off To A Great Start

The Liberty Lady Jays began their season officially on Monday. Through three days of practices the girls have taken huge strides to becoming a great team this season. The work ethic, energy, enthusiasm and learning that has taken place has the coaching staff very excited about things to come.

Twenty-five girls have dedicated themselves to this season and at all levels of the program the future looks bright. With only one senior, Sami Wynne, in the program a lot is being asked of her in a leadership role. Along with the junior class, this group of girls has done an outstanding job of leading and setting the example for the other girls at practice.

The Jays varsity team will open their season on December 10th when they play in the Kickapoo Tournament. The junior varsity squad opens at home on November 23rd in the annual Liberty JV Tournament. The C team will open their season on November 30th when they play at Lee's Summit West.

Practice/Try-Outs Start November 9th

The Liberty 2009-2010 basketball season will start on Monday, November 9th. Practice will be at the High School for all girls in 10th, 11th and 12th grade. The first few days of practice will also be try-outs for any girl interested in playing basketball this season. Practice for 9th graders will also start November 9th and will also be try-outs for any girls interested in playing basketball this season. The 8th grade season starts a week earlier, Monday, November 2nd.

- All girls that are trying out, at any level, will need to have a physical on file with their school before they can participate. NO PHYSICAL, NO PRACTICE!!!

- All girls trying out will need to wear proper basketball shoes.

- All girls that are trying out for 8th or 9th grade teams are asked to wear a t-shirt with your last name on the back.

- If a player misses a try-out practice and does not notify the coach will be assumed they are not trying-out this year. Please contact your coach if there will be a conflict in your schedule.

- Cutting players is a misfortunate part of the process and cuts will be kept to a minimum. Each coach at all levels will evaluate each player and anyone that does not make the team will be given the opportunity to talk to the coach and review their evaluation.

-If you have any questions contact Coach Morley (mmorley@liberty.k12.mo.us).

Practice Starts In Six Weeks

The Lady Jays finished their second week of preseason workouts yesterday. Workouts are Monday through Thursday, starting at 3:45 p.m. The first two weeks have been all about endurance and building a solid foundation of conditioning and core strength training.

"The coaching staff is very happy at the level of intensity the girls are bringing every day to workouts," said Head Coach Mike Morley. "We are trying to build up our endurance and core body strength and the girls have responded well."

Starting next week the workouts will be split between Liberty High School and Liberty Junior High. Monday, the team will workout at the LJH and begin their individual basketball devolopment portion of the preseason workouts.

"We have had a consistent group show up each day (approximately 18 girls) and you can already see the improvement in the their cardiovascular endurance and core strength. With us building a strong foundation we can now move on to more individual basketball skill sessions and work on getting each player to reach their potential."

Lady Jays Attend Northland Youth Leadership Summit

Eight Liberty Lady Jays attended the 2nd Annual Northland Youth Leadership Summit on Friday at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church. The Summit gave the girls opportunities to partake in breakout sessions on leadership and be around other students from the Northland. Tom Guy opened the Summit with a presentation titled "Motivational Leadership". It was a great video on how high school students could become leaders and what characteristics good leaders possess.

The eight juniors that attended the event were Abby Fish, Kelsey Heuer, Kelsey Goff, Kelsey Wansing, Maddie Mason, Leah Roy, Kaysie Clark, and Jenna Turner.

Jays Begin Trek To State Championship Today

At 3:15 p.m. today, the Lady Jays will begin their preseason conditioning workouts and their journey to a Class 5 State Championship. With the departure of only two seniors from last season Liberty is returning nine players from a team that won the District and Sectional before losing to state runner-up Blue Springs in the quarter-final game.

Workouts will be for any girl interested in playing basketball that is in 9th-12th grade.

PRESEASON WORKOUTS BEGIN SEPT. 15

Because of an early release on Monday, September 14th, the Lady Jays will begin their trek to Columbia on Tuesday, September 15th at 3:15 p.m. at LHS.

Basketball Meeting

Anyone interested in playing basketball this year that is not in a fall sport will need to be at a meeting Thursday, August 27th at 3:15 p.m. The meeting will take place in the locker room and will address preseason conditioning & weights.

Pre-Season Workouts Begin September 14th

The 2009-2010 basketball season will begin its pre-season workouts on September 14th at the High School. The workouts will be for any girl interested in playing basketball for Liberty. The workouts are for 9th-12th graders and will be run by the varsity coaching staff. More information will be sent out as the date gets closer.

Jays End Summer On High Note

Three days in Omaha, NE at Creighton Team Camp capped a very successful summer for the Liberty Lady Jays basketball program. After a slow start to the camp, losing the first three games, the Jays bounced back and went 4-2 in the last six games to finish the camp on a high note.

The first three games saw the Jays struggle offensively but after a quick team meeting after a five point loss to West Des Moines Valley the Jays played with a high level of energy and emotion. Once they saw how much fun it was to play as a team and with emotion the Jays were able to carry that over for the remainder of camp and finish strong.

"I have been pleased every day with the girls effort in the weight room and in the gym," said head coach Mike Morley. "They were challenged more than they were planning on this summer and with them continuing to show up each day shows the coaching staff a lot about the character of the girls."

Workouts will resume in September with preseason conditioning, weights, and individual skill improvement.

Creighton Schedule Announced

Liberty will be traveling to Omaha, NE this weekend to participate in the Creighton University Team Camp. The Lady Jays will take 12 players to the camp and will play nine games in the three days. The Lady Jays that will be making the trip are Sami Wynne, Maddie Mason, Jenna Turner, Shea Groom, Kelsey Goff, Kelsey Heuer, Leah Roy, Megan Gentrup, Kelsey Wansing, Anna James, Mackenzie Kern, and Lauren Holm. The Jays will see a steady diet of Iowa competition, with eight of the nine games coming against opponents from Iowa. Iowa plays their softball in the summer and this is the reason for the large number of Iowa teams in the camp.

Friday, July 24th

12:30 p.m. vs. Southeast Polk (IA)

3:45 p.m. vs. Ankeny (IA)

7:10 p.m. vs. West Des Moines Valley (IA)

9:30 p.m. vs. Urbandale (IA)

Saturday, July 25th

9:50 a.m. vs. Council Bluffs Lewis Central (IA)

2:40 p.m. vs. West Des Moines Dowling (IA)

7:40 p.m. vs. Indianola (IA)

Sunday, July 26th

9:50 a.m. vs. Millard West (NE)

11:30 a.m. vs. Johnston (IA)

Lady Jays Add New Member To The Family

The Lady Jays are very happy to announce that Junior Varsity Coach Amber Lierman had a baby last week. Endsley Elizabeth Lierman is the newest member of the Lady Jays Basketball Family. Endsley was born Tuesday, July 14th. She weighed 7 pounds 9 ounces and was 19 inches long.

Nichols Headed To De Kalb

Former Liberty C-Team Coach Ryan Nichols will be the head boy's basketball coach at De Kalb High School. De Kalb is in Rushville, Missouri and competes in Missouri's Class A. This will be Nichols first head coaching experience at the varsity level. Coach Morley wishes that Nichols was still a part of the Liberty staff but understands the great opportunity that this is for Nichols and wishes him the best of luck.

Lady Jays Car-Hop At Sonic

In the first fund raiser of the year, the Liberty Lady Jays served as Car-Hops at Sonic on Highway 291, Saturday, June 20th. The Jays were able to raise around $500 that will go to help cover the cost of the summer leagues they played in during June. It was a lot of fun for the girls and the amount of money raised exceeded the original goal. Junior Varsity Coach Amber Lierman spear-headed the fundraiser and deserves many thank yous for helping out the program so much. Also, 8th Grade Coach Zach Werner and new Sophomore Coach Isaiah Dell were there to help supervise the fundraiser. The Jays will look into working another Saturday in the fall.

South Valley Freshman

The South Valley Freshman played in the Park Hill Freshman League this summer, playing other Freshmen teams from around the Northland. Despite limited numbers due to injuries, the Jays were able to hold their own and gain valuable playing time this summer.

Summer League

The Liberty High School Sophomore team and the Liberty Junior High Freshman team competed in the Northland Summer League that concluded on Thursday, June 25th. With the Varsity and JV teams playing in the Game Time Graphic League, this gave the younger teams an opportunity to step up and play against varsity and junior varsity teams throughout the Northland. This experience was invaluable to the teams and gave the coaches a very indepth evaluation.

Game Time Graphics Summer League

Liberty finished off the Game Time Graphics Summer League at Blue Springs South High School on Wednesday, June 24th. Both the Varsity and Junior Varsity teams competed in the league and the coaches were able to gain valuable time with the girls. The Varsity team played the majority of the league without five of last season's top seven players. This gave a lot of the younger players in the program a great opportunity to step up to the Varsity level and compete against great competition. Liberty played Fort Osage, Blue Springs (twice), O'Hara, Blue Springs South, Lee's Summit North, Lee's Summit, and Truman, giving the girls a taste of what's to come in the upcoming season.

Lady Jays Headed To Creighton

Liberty will be heading to Omaha July 24-26 to participate in the Creighton University Team Camp. The Jays will be competing against opponents from Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas and Missouri. The three day camp will give the coaches another opportunity to evalute the players before the summer is over.

Lady Jays Read At Doniphan Elementary

Friday afternoon was an exciting one for both the students at Doniphan Elementary School but also a few of the Lady Jays. Sami Wynne, Leah Roy, Megan Gentrup, Kelsey Wansing, Anna James and Endsley Evans all took part in the Guest Readers program at Alexander Doniphan Elementary School. The girls were able to read some of their favorite books and interact with the kids.

Summer Camp

The Lady Jay coaching staff will be hosting a basketball camp for girls from grades 3-12. The camp will take place from June 1st - June 4th and is $40 per camper. At the camp the girls will learn fundaments and drills, compete in contests, and play competitive games throughout the week. For more information regarding the camp feel free to contact Head Coach Mike Morley for more information at mmorley@liberty.k12.mo.us.

9th-12th Grade Camp: 8:30 a.m.-10:30 a.m.
3rd-5th Grade Camp: 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
6th-8th Grade Camp: 1:00 p.m.-3:00 p.m.