Senior year. The year of lasts, and the time when students start to prepare for an independent life. For these seniors, this year is nothing like what they expected, yet they all have one thing in common. They pour their heart into their sport. 

Toni Patterson, Sara Gordley and Alyssa Frey are the three seniors on the varsity girls basketball team. They were recognized on Senior Night on Dec. 8 in a 49-47 victory against Winfield. Trailing 39-35 after the third quarter, the Eagles rallied in the fourth to win the game.  

Toni Patterson, who scored 15 points on senior night, wears the No. 5 on the back of her Liberty basketball jersey. After four years on the team, she is so proud of herself and where she’s gotten.

“I’m very proud of myself on how far I’ve come with getting to my senior year of high school and getting to do it all with genuinely good people who’ve helped me become who I am now,” Patterson said.  

Mr. Walterbach, the team coach, has watched her grow from her freshman year and describes her as a valuable part of the team.

“[Toni is] super competitive and she has been a four-year varsity starter,” he said. 

Patterson plans to go to either Truman State University or the University of Missouri, to go into law or criminal justice. Sara Gordley has had a little different experience for her senior year, the prime reason being the pandemic. 

“I’ve been quarantined twice already and I didn’t like going back and forth between virtual and in person,” Gordley said.  

On the bright side, she has gotten to catch up on sleep and hang out with her boyfriend more in her free time. She is going to Murray St. University, but she doesn’t think that she will continue her basketball career going forward. 

She wears the No. 10 on her back running around with dedication to the game on her mind. 

“(Sara) always has a smile on her face and she has come to almost all of the off-season workouts,” Walterbach said.

As for Alyssa Frey, she just moved here from Nebraska and her year has been adjusting to Liberty. 

“Being a new student my senior year starting out with the hybrid schedule really helped me to ease into a much bigger school than I was used to,” Frey said.  

She is undecided about where she is going to school but she plans to be a physical education teacher along with being a coach. 

“I’ve been playing basketball since fourth grade and I’ve loved every second. I’ve worked really hard to get where I am,” Frey said. 

Frey led all scorers in the game against Winfield with 20 points and 11 rebounds. She has made an impact on Walterbach and he says that he loves that she can fit into the team so nicely and he admires her aggressiveness.

These remarkable seniors couldn’t have made their mark on Liberty basketball without the help of staff and coaches.

“I’m grateful to all the teachers and staff who put the time in to ensure that I have everything I need to succeed in the future,” Patterson said.