Northland teams among stars in Best of the Midwest Showcase

Zach Harvey of Topeka Hayden flies between Macaleb Hughes (left) and Nick Coleman of Liberty North on his way to the basket. Harvey scored 24 points in Hayden’s 62-51 victory. Darryl Woods 810 Varsity

The first Best of the Midwest Showcase took place two years ago in cavernous Municipal Auditorium. The venue has shrunk considerably since then, but the event has grown bigger.

What started as a one-day gathering of some of the best boys and girls high school basketball talent in the metro area has now morphed into a two-weekend event. Sixteen teams met for eight games last Saturday at MidAmerica Nazarene University in Olathe, and another 16 teams will battle this Saturday at Johnson County Community College, where the event moved to from Municipal last season.

And just like the first two Showcases, there was plenty of exciting basketball to be seen. In games involving Northland schools, Park Hill South beat Blue Valley North 46-31, Liberty North fell to Topeka Hayden 62-51 and Liberty’s girls lost to St. Thomas Aquinas 42-36.

Saturday’s lineup at Johnson County Community College includes Liberty’s boys vs. Lawrence.

This story was originally published January 9, 2017 at 11:20 AM with the headline "Northland teams among stars in Best of the Midwest Showcase."

Sports Pass is your ticket to Kansas City sports

#ReadLocal