FIVE TAKEAWAYS: Liberty (Mo.)-Washington (Kan.)
FIVE TAKEAWAYS: Liberty (Mo.)-Washington (Kan.)
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. — The opening game of the 23rd annual Leavenworth Tournament opened with a strong performance by the Liberty Blue Jays as they ran away from Kansas City (Kan.) Washington with a 70-47 win.
With the win the Blue Jays advance to the semifinals of the tournament, which will be played at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Here, Prep Hoops takes a look at five takeaways from the contest.
Washington a work in progress
One year after going 15-5, the Wildcats are missing DeMarco Smith, Randy Campbell and others. The Warriors took it on the chin on Thursday, but have some size and played hard. Taron Batiei, a 5’9 2018 guard, had some good moments offensively, showing patience at the offensive end as well as the ability to take care of the ball and finished with 11 points to lead Washington. Isaiah Peterson, a 6’5 2018 forward, showed the ability to get on the offensive glass and finish around the basket.
Montorion Gunnells, a 6’0 2019 guard, drew oohs and awes with a pair of chase down blocks off the backboard that had the crowd buzzing.
Liberty continues to impress
Libertys is one of the better teams in the KC area as they improve to 2-1 this season and on Thursday, Washington was no match for the Blue Jays. The have good size, shoot it well, have a terrific guard in 2018 Jalen Lewis and have good depth with several players who come off the bench and don’t miss a beat.
Ian Jacobs, others playing well off bench
Jacobs went for six points off the bench and continues to play well for the Blue Jays. He is a good shooter, gets to the free throw line and is a smart, heady all-around guard.
Logan Steenstra with strong performance
An athletic 6’5 wing player, Steenstra put together another strong performance on Thursday, scoring 20 points in limited playing time as the Blue Jays emptied the bench on several occasions. He knocked down four 3-pointers and had 16 points at the halftime break and finished with 20.
Grant Stubbs a good young forward
A 6’5 2020 forward, Liberty’s Grant Stubbs brings good activity to the court and does a lot of little things well. On Thursday, Stubbs went for 11 points and gave the Blue Jays a big spark off the bench. While Liberty is pretty senior dominated, Stubbs gives the team good depth and a bright future.