Inside game taken away, Rockhurst wins from distance in Holiday Classic opener
Before a minute clicked off the clock, Rockhurst sophomore Mason Thompson drilled a three-pointer against St. Joseph Central for the first points Thursday afternoon in a Nelson Division opening-round game.
“It felt pretty good just to get the jitters out of the way,” Thompson said. “It gets the whole team going and gives you a little energy, too.”
While there was still a lot of basketball still to be played, those points told the story in Rockhurst’s 55-25 victory over the Indians at the William Jewell High School Holiday Classic.
For the game, Thompson, a 6-foot-1 point guard, went 6-for-8 behind the arc and finished with a game-high 20 points.
Rockhurst, 5-2, will play Grandview at 9 p.m. Saturday in the Nelson Division semifinals.
“I was talking to our guys that this is a great opportunity,” Rockhurst coach Pete Campbell said. “Win or lose the ballgame, we are playing against the two-time defending state champion. They come at you with presses. They run and jump you. Just their straight-up, man-to-man defense is in your shorts.
“Some of our guys just played their seventh varsity game. We are looking forward to the opportunity to get better. It will help us prepare for later on in the season.”
The Hawklets showed Thursday afternoon that they knew how to react when an opponent takes away their inside game.
Thompson knocked down four three-pointers in the first quarter. His 12 points were more than the seven St. Joseph Central scored in the entire first half.
Thanks to the sharpshooting of Thompson and junior 6-3 junior Ben Walsh, the Hawklets took a 32-7 lead into halftime.
Ironically, the game plan for Rockhurst was to pound the ball inside because it had a size advantage.
“They knew we were going to do that because they didn’t have that much height so they packed the lane, which opened up the three-point shot,” Thompson said. “Ben and I hit shots the first four possessions. But we have guys who can definitely score in the paint.”
The combination of efficient offense and stingy defense by Rockhurst helped the Hawklets build a commanding lead in the first quarter. After Thompson’s initial three-pointer, Walsh followed with another.
“I was shooting the ball pretty well in warmups so I just let it fire away,” said Walsh, who finished with nine points.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Thompson extended the lead to 12-0 for the Hawklets.
Their opening run was halted by a Central junior guard Will Small. But any hopes of a comeback were dashed by Thompson, who concluded the first quarter with a three-pointer, making it 20-4.
Rockhurst finished the first half the same way when senior Sam Seymour hit a three-pointer at the second-quarter buzzer.
Thompson and the Hawkletts stayed hot in the third quarter, scoring 15 more points. Thompson made two more threes, helping Rockhurst take a 47-16 lead into the final quarter.
“Mason Thompson and Ben Walsh are really good shooters,” Campbell said. “That is nothing new to me.”
Grandview 68, Oak Park 37
Sophomore Taj Manning, a 6-6 sophomore, scored a game-high 16 points and pulled down six rebounds in Grandview’s 31-point victory. Leading the way for Oak Park was 6-7 senior forward Ahmed Mahgoub, who finished with 14 points and eight rebounds.
Staley 69, Fort Osage 33
Byron Alexander, a 6-3 senior forward, scored 19 points, pulled down 10 rebounds and added four steals in Staley’s victory. The Falcons will play Center at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the Nelson Division semifinals.
Center 52, Blue Springs South 49
Despite outscoring Center 16-10 in the final quarter, Blue Springs South couldn’t overcome a 28-14 halftime deficit. Center 6-4 senior guard Keyren Spiller led the Yellowjackets with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Kortez Stevenson, a 6-5 sophomore forward, added 14 points for Center. Blue Springs South got a double-double from 6-5 junior Devin Tomlinson, who finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Grandview Christian 61, Truman 59
After scoring the game-tying basket, Grandview Christian junior Josue Grullon knocked down a three-pointer to start overtime. The Eagles maintained the lead and completed a comeback that saw them overcome a 38-26 deficit early in the third quarter. Grullon finished with 30 points and eight rebounds in the Patterson Division first-round game.
Ruskin 69, Blue Springs 64 2OT
Ruskin got 24 points from junior Tavion Banks and 22 points from senior Tyrone Moore to pull out a thrilling, double overtime victory against Blue Springs in a Patterson Division game. Ruskin will face Grandview Christian noon Saturday in the Patterson Division semifinals. Blue Springs, which used late baskets at the end of regulation and the first overtime to forge ties, got 20 points from sophomore Braden Appelhans, 15 from sophomore Kyle Bruce and 14 from Ikenna Ezeogu.
Liberty 63, Winnetonka 49
Liberty scored the first seven points and never trailed to remain undefeated after six games. Leading the way for the Blue Jays was senior Grant Stubbs, a 6-6 forward who finished with 24 points and eight rebounds. Liberty returns to action 1:30 p.m. Saturday in a Patterson Division semifinal game.
Park Hill 67, Lee’s Summit 64
Park Hill made just enough plays to maintain a slim lead throughout the fourth quarter. The Trojans’ biggest advantage in the final quarter was 65-60. Lee’s Summit responded with the next four points. Lee’s Summit had a chance to tie with 15 seconds left, trailing 66-64. Park Hill forced a turnover 7 seconds later. The win puts Park Hill in a Patterson Division semifinal game against Liberty at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
This story was originally published December 26, 2019 at 5:50 PM.