North Kansas City pushes past Lee’s Summit on Day 2 of Holiday Classic at William Jewell
North Kansas City produced the perfect response when it fell behind for the first time early in the fourth quarter against Lee’s Summit. The Hornets scored the next nine points at the William Jewell High School Holiday Classic on Thursday night.
The run that came with five minutes left was enough of a cushion for North Kansas City to beat Lee’s Summit 58-47 in a Cardinal Division quarterfinal game at Larry Holley Court.
“We came out and competed,” said North Kansas City junior guard Danthony Pennington, who finished with 16 points. “We knew Lee’s Summit was good. We just had to come out and compete and play with all we got.”
North Kansas City, 4-5, will face Rockhurst at 9 p.m. Friday in the semifinals.
“We talked about the importance of keeping the lead, and when we did give it up, we reminded the guys we have been in a lot of close games this year,” North Kansas City coach Gerry Marlin said. “Most of them we came up short, two points, double overtime and one point one time.
“The difference was getting it done down the stretch. Tonight, we got the defensive stops and hit big free throws and did the things we needed to get the lead back.”
Lee’s Summit went into the fourth quarter with all the momentum after senior Collin Kay hit a high-arching three-pointer at the third quarter buzzer that tied the game at 40-40.
“That’s a little bit deflating when that happens,” Marlin said.
The Tigers then took their only lead of the game at 42-40 on a basket by 6-foot-6 freshman forward Max Whisner. Whisner finished with 14 points.
North Kansas City wasted little time getting back on top. Consecutive baskets by Pennington put the Hornets in front 44-42. Senior Yonathan Elful, who finished with 18 points, followed with a basket. A three-pointer by senior Akech Teng increased the lead to 49-42.
“We were feeding the hot hand,” Pennington said. “We kept giving it to the guys who were making shots, and they kept hitting for us.”
For a second, it appeared North Kansas City had the momentum going into the second quarter. The Hornets scored for a 19-11 lead. Less than five seconds remained in the quarter.
Lee’s Summit junior Jaden Moore, who finished with 17 points, raced down court and calmly drilled a three-pointer at the buzzer. The shot sparked Lee’s Summit. The Tigers outscored North Kansas City in the second quarter and forged a 27-27 tie at halftime.
Center 65, Park Hill 64 OT
Center senior Taray Winfrey, a 5-foot-10 guard, drove into the paint and powered his way to the game-winning basket with 7 seconds left to give the Yellowjackets a one-point lead. Senior Arthur Williams sealed the win with a steal.
Winfrey finished with 11 points. Sophomore Keyren Spiller led Center with 18 points. Leading the way for Park Hill was sophomore Nyk Bryant, who scored 27 points.
Center, 5-3, will play Liberty North at 7:30 p.m. Friday in a Cardinal Division semifinal game.
Rockhurst 84, Odessa 44: In their Cardinal Division quarterfinal game, six seniors for Rockhurst showed why this could be a very special season. These Hawklets scored inside, outside and midrange in their victory.
Seniors Glen McClintock, Marcus Teahan, Tyler Nelson, Darrius Hughes, AJ White and Al Ba combined for 43 points and they didn’t play in the fourth quarter.
“I am incredibly proud of them,” Rockhurst coach Pete Campbell said. “They are better people off the court than on the court. Because they have been playing for years together, their leadership is outstanding. I couldn’t ask for anything better out of my seniors.”
Rockhurst improved to 9-0 on the season.
Liberty North 57, Kearney 41: Liberty North led the majority of the game and came away with a double-digit victory in a Cardinal Division quarterfinal. Leading the way for the Eagles was junior Jalen Perry with 14 points, and senior CJ Purcell added 11. Kearney senior Decker Hanson led all scorers with 17 points, and senior Gavin Frizzell added 12 for the Bulldogs. Liberty North improved to 5-3 on the season.
Consolation games
Oak Park 56, Hogan Prep 36
Oak Park’s Ahmad Louis continued scoring at a high rate, finishing with 39 points. In two games in this tournament, Louis is averaging 41 points. Oak Park, 4-5, will play Lee’s Summit West for fifth place in the Patterson Division at 10 a.m. Saturday.
Lee’s Summit West 67, Smithville 47
Lee’s Summit West bounced back from a tough loss to Raytown and came up with a 20-point victory in the Patterson Division consolation bracket. Junior Tysen Brennan, a 6-5 forward, scored 18 points, going seven for nine from the field. He also pulled down 10 rebounds. Junior guard Tayven Glasgow was just as impressive from the field, making eight of 10 shots for 21 points.
Winnetonka 47, St. Joseph Central 39
Senior guard Jay Williamson scored 20 points and junior guard Racine Williams added 10, leading the Griffins to victory in a Nelson Division consolation game. Winnetonka, 4-6, will play Blue Springs, 3-7, at noon Saturday for fifth place.
Blue Springs 59, Lincoln Prep 50
Sophomore Eli Wingert, a 6-7 forward, scored 15 points and Kyle Bruce added 14 in the win for Blue Springs. Lincoln Prep got 21 points from senior guard Arthur Weston Jr. Lincoln Prep held a 12-11 lead after one quarter. Blue Springs outscored the Blue Tigers in each of the last three quarters.
Wednesday’s late games
Blue Springs South 68, Hogan Prep 35
Three players scored in double figures, leading Blue Springs South to victory in a Patterson Division quarterfinal game. Senior Caleb Israelite let the way for the Jaguars with 14 points and sophomore Quinton Robertson added 13. Blue Springs South, 5-3, will face Liberty, 4-4, at 1:30 p.m. Friday in the semifinals.
Liberty 67, Oak Park 63
Despite getting 43 points from 6-foot-2 senior guard Ahmad Louis, Oak Park lost by four to Liberty. Liberty got an impressive game from 6-5 junior forward Grant Stubbs, who scored 27 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. Stubbs was 14 for 17 from the free-throw line.
This story was originally published December 27, 2018 at 7:18 PM.