Liberty boys basketball gets offense and defense working in win at Raymore-Peculiar
The Liberty High boys basketball team seemed intent on arriving at Raymore-Peculiar’s gym Friday night, playing a quick game and getting out as quickly as possible.
And that’s pretty much how it happened.
The fast-paced Blue Jays (7-3) defeated the host Jaguars (3-2) 53-27 in a regulation 32-minute game that took just 53 minutes of actual time, not including the halftime break.
The fourth quarter was the longest of the night, lasting 15 minutes as Liberty entered the bonus and took its game to the free-throw line.
With Liberty running a 4-1 perimeter offense, the ball didn’t stay in any one player’s hands for more than a couple of seconds.
“We’re not very good when the ball stops,” Liberty coach Roger Stirtz said. “We’re not an isolation team, we have to move the ball. We’re a very, very simple program, and we try to do two or three things really well: and moving the ball is one of them.”
Liberty employed a three-guard lineup. One of its bigs was always available in one of the corners so four players remained on the perimeter. That created the option of getting the ball into the hands of perimeter shooters, or opening up lanes for guys to drive to the bucket
Senior forward Javin Shaw finished with 17 points on 6-for-7 shooting. Four of those baskets came from beyond the three-point-line.
“I thought he played really well tonight, and most importantly, the ball found him,” Stirtz said. “We’ve got to move the ball and find the hot shooters, and he was one of them.”
Jaguars guard Iryn Allen went toe-to-toe with Shaw for much of the game, scoring 16 points on 5-for-13 shooting. The junior was a perfect 4 for 4 from the free-throw line.
When Liberty couldn’t get the ball to Shaw, it often directed it to guard Luke Stubbs — he scored 14 points, doing a lot of his damage in the paint. Liberty junior guard Bennett Stirtz added 10, giving the Blue Jays three double-digit scorers.
In fact, drives to the hoop were such regular occurrences that Ray-Pec coach Scott Jermain called a timeout late in the first half, pleading with his team to opt for the foul rather than allow the Blue Jays to get to the basket with ease.
A bright spot for Ray-Pec: 6-foot-6 forward Tucker Miller. The junior hauled in 10 rebounds.
But the Jaguars shot just 9 for 28 from the field, with Allen recording five of those buckets.
“Our kids played alright,” Stirtz said of his Liberty team. “Ray-Pec is well-coached and they run their stuff well, but I thought our defensive effort and what we needed to do defensively was good.”
This story was originally published January 15, 2021 at 9:16 PM.