Park Hill South boys seize control down stretch, defeat Liberty North in Class 5 sectional

Park Hill South senior James Byrd peered toward the scoreboard hanging from the middle of the Excelsior Springs High School gym, an early fourth-quarter glance that simply affirmed what he already knew.

The Panthers’ double-digit lead against Liberty North had transformed to a two-point deficit. Absent a comeback, only seven minutes remained in Park Hill South’s season.

“It wakes you up. It fires you up a little bit,” Byrd said. “You realize you have to make something happen to keep your season alive.”

Byrd put those words into practice.

He scored 10 of his game-best 24 points in the fourth quarter, lifting Park Hill South to a 54-49 victory on Wednesday in the Missouri Class 5 sectionals.

Park Hill South, 24-3, will face Rockhurst at 6 p.m. Saturday at Liberty North, with a trip to the Missouri state tournament semifinals on the line.

Liberty North, 17-11, nearly stole the Panthers’ spot in the quarterfinals, using a 15-0 run in the second half to take a 40-38 lead. Michael Wansing scored eight of his team-high12 points during the spurt.

But the Eagles were forced to play most of the second half without their leading scorer, forward Michael Hughes, who battled foul trouble. Hughes made only one basket and finished with five points, and his rim-protecting ability was noticeably absent as Byrd drove to the basket for his fourth-quarter production.

“It was a really hard locker room to talk to (after the game),” Liberty North coach Chris McCabe said. “But when I look back, I’ll know 13 guys gave it everything they had and took us on a fun ride.”

This story was originally published March 11, 2015 at 9:12 PM with the headline "Park Hill South boys seize control down stretch, defeat Liberty North in Class 5 sectional."