Ryan Murken

Your Prep Sports

NORTH LIBERTY – With a delayed start to the season followed by a pair of 14-day breaks all brought on by covid protocols Liberty High co-head coaches Stu Ordman and Ryan Kelly have become well versed in the challenges that accompany coaching through the pandemic.

A new coronavirus-caused conundrum presented itself to the Liberty High staff leading up to Friday’s return to game action against Cedar Rapids Washington.

With only two practices to prepare for the Warriors coming off a two-week hiatus what areas of the game do you focus on?

“One of the challenges when you have been off for 14 days and you have two practices you are trying to get them back in shape but you are also trying to game plan,” Kelley said. “You are trying to improve yourself, get back in shape and prepare for your opponent and how you balance that I think has been a real challenge.”

With a talented Cedar Rapids Washington front court filled with athletic playmakers like Traijan Sain and Quincy Underwood the first game back for Class 4A ninth-ranked Liberty High on Friday was a tough prep under any circumstances.

Everything leading up to Friday only made it more difficult.

Sain and Underwood combined for 25 second-half points as Cedar Rapids Washington rallied from a nine-point halftime deficit for a 56-52 win over Liberty High in North Liberty.

Underwood had 12 of his 14 points after halftime and Sain had 11 of his game-high 19 in the fourth quarter as Washington improved to 11-7 on the season.

Liberty High dropped to 5-2 on the season with the loss, its first game action since a January 26 setback at top-ranked Cedar Falls.

“We have to get back in the flow, coming off 14 day its really tough to have two practices and play a team like that,” Kelley said. “They are athletic and if you don’t contain them they are going to make you pay and that’s what Sain did tonight. He was incredible.”

The 6-foot-4 Sain scored six straight points during a 10-1 Warrior run to start the fourth quarter that gave Washington its first lead since the opening two minutes.

Liberty High twice cut the deficit to two in the final 5:09 but both times Sain answered with a bucket.

His conventional 3-point play with 3:23 left gave Washington a 51-46 lead and the Warriors hit five free throws in the final 52 seconds to seal the win.

“I thought that we did a really nice job tonight in man-to-man, I really did,” Kelley said. “I thought we did a nice job defending their stuff. They got the ball inside a few times or broke us down on drives and that led to a couple of and ones that extended their lead a little bit.”

Liberty High had chances in the final four minutes to pull even but couldn’t get a timely bucket to go.

The Lightning had two possessions in the final minute when trailing by three that ended with missed 3-pointers.

Ira Hazeltine had 13 of his team-high 15 points in the first half while Basil Aldoss had 10 points and Ethan O’Donnell had nine.

Liberty High was just 5-of-15 from the field in the fourth quarter and shot 35 percent from the floor in the second half.

“I think it’s more about us getting into a flow,” Kelley said. “When we play together and we move and cut hard we are a pretty good team. Legs were a big factor today. We were tired at the end of the game.”

It has been an uneven season to date for the Lightning.
Liberty High didn’t play its first game until December 18 after Iowa City schools went to online only classes.

The Lightning went 2-0 before the holiday break, returned to win its first game of 2021 on January 5 over City High but then was forced to pause activities for two weeks.
Liberty High played three times from January 22-26 before its most recent interruption that ended on Wednesday.

Despite all the challenges Ordman and Kelly have been thrilled with the attitude the Lightning have had.

“The biggest challenge is staying in a really positive mindset and staying focused in on what we are trying to improve on,” Ordman said. “They do a great job but it’s very difficult when you are not in person. In our virtual meetings they do a really good job but it’s not the same as a practice or as a game. We just have to go forward and we will.”

Liberty High gets right back at it on Saturday hosting West High at 4 p.m. before a three-game week that features road trips to Cedar Rapids Kennedy and Keokuk around a home game with Dubuque Hempstead.

The Lightning will open postseason play on February 26.

“Our our guys have been terrific attitude wise and I have all the confidence in the world in them,” Ordman said. “The next eight days is just a run up to substate.”

CR Washington         11  10  15  20  –  56

Liberty High               19  11   9   13  –  52

Liberty High (52) – Cody Schroeder 0-3 0-0 0, Ira Hazeltine 6-15 0-1 15, Griffin Kraft 2-4 0-0 4, Grayson Tyler 3-6 2-2 8, Da’Shon Fisher 0-2 1-2 1, Max Beckman 0-2 0-0 0, Ethan O’Donnell 4-11 0-1 9, Basil Aldoss 4-10 1-2 10, Ja’Quez Hall 2-2 0-0 5, Totals 21-55 4-8 52.

CR Washington (56) – Jesse Sellers 2-6 4-6 9, Willie Hodges 0-3 1-2 1, Jaden Harris 2-8 1-2 6, Wyatt Cain 1-1 0-0 2, Traijan Sain 8-14 3-5 19, Quincy Underwood 5-7 4-4 14, Henry Clymer 2-3 0-0 5, Totals 20-42, 13-19 56.

3-point field goals – ICL 6-17 (Schroeder 0-2, Hazeltine 3-8, Tyler 0-1, O’Donnell 1-2, Aldoss 1-3, Hall 1-1), CRW 3-16 (Sellers 1-4, Hodges 0-3, Harris 1-5, Sain 0-2, Underwood 0-1, Clymer 1-1). Rebounds – ICL 30 (Aldoss, Kraft 5), CRW 32 (Underwood 9). Turnovers – ICL 9, CRW 15. Total fouls – ICL 16, CRW 10. Fouled out – None. Technical fouls – None.

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