Douglas Miles

Your Prep Sports

NORTH LIBERTY – The Iowa City Liberty boys’ basketball team looked tired.

After a half of their frenetic full-court defense, the Lightning began watching Cedar Rapids Jefferson take (and make) a plethora of shots that resulted in a 45-33 halftime lead for the J-Hawks.

“We weren’t doing a very good of containing,” Liberty Co-Coach Ryan Kelly said after the Lightning used a third-quarter blitz to run past Jefferson, 83-66, in a Mississippi Valley Conference boys’ basketball game Tuesday night at Liberty High School. “We weren’t staying in front of our man and then our help-side (defense) wasn’t rotating over. That can lead to a lot of problems in the MVC.”

A switch to a 1-3-1 zone defense after halftime helped Liberty (2-0, 1-0 MVC) disrupt Jefferson’s passing and create more turnovers and fast break opportunities.

The result was a suffocating 35-10 scoring advantage in the third quarter for the Lightning.

“The difference from our perspective was we limited them to one shot,” Kelly said. “We got on the boards, finally. We weren’t giving up offensive rebounds, but then we had that intensity on defense and it led to our transition offense, which we really picked up on in the second half.”

Liberty senior forward Ethan O’Donnell came alive in the second half with 13 of his 18 points and all four of his rebounds.

“I was looking to just rebound,” O’Donnell said. “I don’t rebound enough and I need to look to rebound more, help out my guys and look to contribute however I can. We have such a great senior class. It could be anyone’s night. Any night.”

Fellow senior Kelby Telander, a preferred walk-on recruit for the University of Iowa football team, led all scorers with 27 points – including 16 in the second half – and also grabbed 11 rebounds.

It was a satisfying night for the 6-foot-5 forward, who is only a month and a half removed from the completion of a grueling wrist rehabilitation that cost him the entire 2020 football season.

“I went from doing everything in sports to learning how to make a fist again,” said Telander, who sustained six torn flexor tendons, plus nerve and artery damage following an in-home accident while repairing a chandelier. “It was a really slow process. Some days there was a lot of progress, other days there was really nothing.”

O’Donnell and Telander have played for Liberty High in all four years of the Lightning’s basketball existence and are being counted on to replace the immense production of Andre Brandon, who led the Lightning in scoring and rebounding in each of the program’s first three campaigns and graduated after last season.

“They bleed Liberty,” Kelly said. “They are the core of our team. We have got a strong senior core and these guys just come out and give 100 percent every night. I am so proud of how they performed.”

Andreas Williams led Jefferson (1-3, 0-2) with 14 points, one of four players to reach double figures in scoring for the J-Hawks.

Senior guard Ira Hazeltine added 10 points for Liberty, which after having its first four games of this season canceled when the Iowa City Community School District suspended athletics due to online learning, will emerge from winter break with just its third game of the season Jan. 5 at Iowa City High.

“I do not think we have gone undefeated into a break in the past,” Telander said. “It builds a lot of confidence for us, but we do not want to bring too much confidence into something and get cocky, so we just want to maintain the same level. Win or lose situation, have the same confidence. Keep doing what we are doing. It is working.”

Cedar Rapids Jefferson (66) – Carson Blietz 4 0-0 11, Dkhai Pope 0 0-0 0, Ayrondus Hodges 4 2-3 10, Brayden Kindhart 4 1-2 13, Caden Schroeder 2 0-2 4, Blessing Olutunde 1 0-1 2, Andreas Williams 5 3-6 14, Kaden Haller 3 0-0 8, Ian Wiederin 0 0-0 0, Lonny Melvin 1 0-0 2, Gunner Myers 1 0-0 2, Prosper Kapongo 0 0-0 0, Totals 25 6-14 66.

Liberty High (83) – Joslin Gembo 0 0-0 0, Ira Hazeltine 3 2-4 10, Kelby Telander 12 3-8 27, Ethan O’Donnell 7 4-4 18, Grayson Tyler 2 1-2 6, Max Beckman 0 2-2 2, Griffin Kraft 3 3-4 9, Basil Aldoss 4 0-0 8, Cody Shroeder 1 0-0 3, Owen Swartzendruber 0 0-0 0, Nicolas Kanyiki 0 0-0 0, Colin Ramspott 0 0-0 0, Lucas Forbes 0 0-0 0, Jackson Burvee 0 0-0 0, Jack Abel 0 0-0 0, Kal Handoo 0 0-0 0, Totals 32 15-24 83.

CR Jefferson             19  26  10  11  –  66

Liberty High              13  20  35  15  –  83

Three-point goals – Jefferson 0; Liberty 4 (Hazeltine 2, Shroeder 1, Tyler 1). Rebounds – Jefferson 0 (Williams 8); Liberty 34 (Telander 11). Total fouls – Jefferson 16, Liberty 13. Fouled out – None.

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