The Spirit of Home Court

Liberty’s boys basketball is very successful playing at home

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Eric Mason

The student section has grown each year to give more of an edge to Liberty’s home court advantage.

Nick Howard, Reporter

Here at Liberty, we have one of the better home court advantages during the basketball season. We have won 17 games in a row at home and hope to continue that streak this season. The team will play their first home game of the new season on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. against Francis Howell North.

For a student section that constantly shows their pride in the sport of basketball, Liberty’s student body in their own backyard is always a huge obstacle for the away team.

Liberty has been a tough team to play at home for the last two seasons and don’t plan on making it any easier. As the school grows larger in students each year, there are more Liberty students that come out and show support to their basketball program. The boys varsity basketball team last loss came on their first home game ever with a senior class back in 2016. Coach Sodemann expects the student section to stay filled once again this season as the other team knows that their in for a battle here at Liberty.

“One of our goals even though we don’t have it written down is to make Liberty a really hard place to play,” Sodemann said.

From the first home game all the way up to Red Night on the last home game, Liberty’s bleachers are constantly filled to be at their loudest. Just to show how dominant Liberty has been at home, not one game at Liberty has been less than a five point win for the Eagles since Feb. 21, 2016. For his second year at Liberty High School, junior Jayce Catchings already knows how much this program means to the fans.

“Liberty’s home court advantage is big here, [the team] loves the culture,” Catchings said.

One of our goals even though we don’t have it written down is to make Liberty a really hard place to play.

— Coach Sodemann

The general idea of “playing in your own backyard” is important for every team playing at home. The worst place to lose for any team at any level of basketball is to lose at is their own home court. Losing is something that becomes non-existent inside the mind for a program playing at home and every one on the team for the Eagles knows it. Freshman Jaden Betton is playing on the varsity level in his first year at Liberty and knows how important it is to win in basketball at the school.

“We have to take care of business on our home floor and have the crowd [into the game],” Betton said.

Liberty has had a successful basketball program for the past two seasons and most of their success could not be done without the passion the students give every game that is played at Liberty. The program’s victories these past couple of seasons have been most dominant when played at home and the goal is to keep it that way.

“On our home floor that’s our home ground, so we should be unbeatable here,” Betton said.

If the team is going to continue to be victorious at home, the job of the student section has to stay just as loud, if not louder, this year at Liberty. Senior Kent Lawson knows how loud the home crowd can get and wants the fans to keep that same loud energy for another season of Liberty Eagles Basketball.

“They need to stay standing up, be loud, and have chants,” Lawson said.

Eagles basketball looks ahead for another undefeated streak at home this season and they need home support to make it happen. With the eagles nest prepared for the best, they need to be supportive to give the away team their biggest test.