The Liberty Christian boys’ basketball team may not be at full strength yet, but they certainly have more than a few wins under their belt.
 
The Warriors improved to 14-6 thanks to a third place finish at the Prosper Holiday Showcase last weekend. The team won three of its four games during the three-day event -- including a 66-52 win over Gainesville in the third-place game. Liberty came in as the defending tournament champions.
 
“Considering the fact that we had a week off before heading into this tournament, I think we did fairly well overall,” head coach Richard Scofield said. “We really went in with hopes of winning the whole thing, but winning three of four is still very positive.”
 
Especially since the team featured seven varsity players and two junior varsity players. Christian Scofield is going to be out at least another two weeks because of a stress fracture in his foot while Ben Habern won’t be available because of his commitment to an all-star football game. Andrew Loch and Jake Gannon – two more versatile athletes from football – are also out with injuries.
 
But the team keeps plugging along.
 
They beat Life School Oak Cliff 59-34 in the first round, then turned around to beat the Plano JV team 44-36. They lost 60-50 to Frisco Wakeland, but rebounded to pick up the win over Gainesville.
 
Dylan Fife and Wil Scofield were named to the All-Tournament Team as both led the team in scoring with 28 and 18 points, respectively, in the finals. Fife scored 64 points in the four games combined while Scofield added 54 over the weekend. Justin Baldia also had a great tournament, Scofield added. He poured in 10 points in the finals.
 
“He’s an excitable player who really gives us a boost when we need it,” Scofield said of Baldia. “He’s very consistent and can get you ten points per game.”
 
Another key contributor is Bailee Brown. With Brown coming over from football, Scofield has been able to sub him in at point guard to add some versatility to the lineup. Not to mention, it has given Wil Scofield some much needed time to recover since he’s been taking on a lot more duties as the team tries to find a solid lineup.
 
“The point is that we haven’t really played at full strength yet,” Scofield said. “While other teams are starting to hit their stride, we are trying to get as many players out there as we can and try to find a rhythm of our own. Bailee adds a little something, and once we can get Ben Habern in the lineup, that will really give us a presence under the basket.”
 
The team will certainly need it.
 
The Warriors will host Fort Worth Nolan Catholic on Friday in their final non-district tilt of the season. They’ll open league play against Arlington Grace Prep on Jan. 8.
 
“They (Grace Prep) are easily the best team in the district,” Scofield said. “We are getting better, but our district is tough and we’ll have to see what happens next.”
 
Gainesville               10    11    12    19  --  52
Liberty Christian      14    19    14    19  --  66
GV: Josh Lawson 14, Deshawn Franklin 11, Robert Anbuehl 9, Seth Stockton 6, Peyton Roye 5, Zack McFarlin 5, Matt McCowan 2.
LIB: Dylan Fife 28, Wil Scofield 18, Justin Baldia 10, Stuart Hicks 7, BJ Matthews 2, Jarred Gilliland 1.