Senior Shaquille Harrison scored 24 of his game-high 28 points in the second half, leading Lee’s Summit West to a 70-51 victory over Rockhurst on Saturday afternoon in the Missouri Class 5, District 16 championship game at Lee’s Summit.
The Hawklets scored the first five points of the game, but two three-pointers by senior Nathan Jackson gave Lee’s Summit West a 6-5 advantage, a lead they never relinquished. The Titans led 12-11 at the end of the first quarter and 28-21 at halftime. Jackson had 11 first-half points.But Rockhurst, 20-6, did not go quietly. Junior Bradley Wilkins scored on a short shot to make it 37-34 with 2:44 left in the third quarter. That was when Lee’s Summit West dropped the hammer. Sophomore Monte Harrison scored on an easy bucket off an out-of-bounds play, junior Trevor Gregory added a rebound basket and Shaquille Harrison had two free throws for a 6-0 run that made it 43-34 with 1:11 left in the quarter.“We didn’t adjust to some things they did in the third quarter,” Rockhurst coach Mark Nusbaum said. “They guarded us hard.”The Titans pulled away in the fourth quarter, hitting 17 of 21 from the free-throw line. They were 31 of 39 at the free-throw line for the game.Lee’s Summit West had edged Rockhurst 60-58 on Dec. 12 at home and learned some things in the process.“We didn’t want to put them on the free throw line,” Titans coach Michael Schieber said. “They were 27 of 29 in the first game.“We beat a great basketball team. I couldn’t be happier for the kids.”The Hawklets were just 17 for 23 on Saturday afternoon.Shaquille Harrison was outstanding in the second half, scoring on drives, rebound buckets and free throws. He was seven-of-seven from the field in the second 16 minutes and nine-of-10 at the charity stripe.The 6-3 senior hit both of his field goal attempts in the first half to go a perfect nine-of-nine from the floor for the game. He also had seven rebounds.Jackson added 16 points and 6-foot-6 junior Trevor Gregory came off the bench to add a 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds.Junior Kyle Wolf led the Hawklets with 15 points, and senior Patrick Jones added 12.The Titans, 24-3, will play St. Joseph Central at 8:15 p.m. on Wednesday in a sectional game at the Independence Events Center.Lee’s Summit West has beaten St. Joseph Central twice this season. The Titans won 58-54 at home and 78-71 on the road.“You have to throw those games out the window.” Schieber said. “We hope to play well and come out with a win.”The winner of that game will meet the winner of the Fort Osage-Blue Springs South game at 2:45 p.m. on Saturday for the trip to Columbia for the Class 5 Final Four.





