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.