Holiday Classic: Liberty outlasts Park Hill to advance to Patterson Division final
In the first half, Liberty forwards Grant Stubbs and Kellen Goodwin did most of their damage inside against Park Hill Saturday afternoon in the Patterson Division semifinals.
They briefly changed their art of scoring early in the third quarter, and that helped the Blue Jays build a comfortable lead that they would not relinquish in a 62-53 victory over Park Hill at the William Jewell Holiday High School Classic at Larry Holley Court.
“I was pleased with our effort,” said Liberty coach Roger Stirtz. “I thought we guarded well. They are a tough team to defend. I thought our guys did a really nice job.”
Liberty will take their perfect 7-0 record into the Patterson Division championship game at 7:30 p.m. Monday against Ruskin.
“We always look forward to playing in the championship,” said Stubbs, who finished with 22 points on 10 of 12 shooting from the field. “They are a good team. We will be ready to play. It will be fun.”
Early in the third quarter, Liberty was clinging to a 32-31 lead when Goodwin, a 6-foot-6 junior, made a three-pointer. A few minutes later, Stubbs, a 6-7 senior, gave Liberty a nine-point cushion at 40-31 when he knocked down a three-pointer.
“They were really big,” Stubbs said. “They were starting to make a run. They are a good team. That helped us keep that separation.”
The fourth quarter started well for Liberty when Stubbs made another three-pointer, increasing the Blue Jays’ lead to 53-42.
“Grant’s three at the top of the key was huge,” Stirtz said. “I was never comfortable, but there was a little bit of comfort there.”
The Blue Jays needed that 11-point advantage because the Trojans roared back and scored the next seven points, closing to 53-49. A fast-break layup by Liberty senior Jermaine Booker halted the run. Booker finished with 19 points.
“It was really about being a tough team,” Stubbs said. “They made a nice run at us. We got some stops and were able to capitalize on some offensive possessions.”
Just when it looked like Liberty was taking control of game in the first half on the inside play of Stubbs and Goodwin, Park Hill junior Anthony Hall drilled a three-pointer.
The last points in the second quarter came on Hall’s third three-pointer of the half, helping Park Hill close to 30-27.
But Hall’s outside accuracy wasn’t enough to counter Stubbs’ 5-of-6 shooting.
“We got to the rim well today and that was the big difference,” Stirtz said.
Other Saturday games
Ruskin 79, Grandview Christian 62
Early in the second quarter, Ruskin took the lead for good on a three-point play from junior Chinedum Idika to make it 24-22. But it was two dunks within a minute by junior Tavion Banks that really energized the Eagles.
“It started off with team spirit and then we started to talk on defense,” said Banks, who finished with 24 points and 14 rebounds. “We have to work on that more to get ready for the next game. That is where the game starts on defense.”
Banks’ second dunk gave Ruskin a 31-22 lead and was part of a scoring run that allowed the Eagles to score the final 13 points in the second quarter and go into halftime with a 34-22 lead.
“It is just hyping the team up,” Banks said of his dunks.
Ruskin continued to play well in the third quarter, growing its lead to 50-28 a couple of minutes before the fourth quarter.
Ruskin, 7-2, will play Liberty 7:30 p.m. Monday for the Patterson Division title.
Raymore-Peculiar 66, Raytown 61 OT
Sometimes a team only needs two scorers to pull out a victory. In this case, Raymore-Peculiar also needed overtime as senior Kian Scroggins scored 26 points and senior Jordan Jermain added 25 for the Panthers.
Raymore-Peculiar has a day of rest before returning to action 9 p.m. Monday against North Kansas City in the Cardinal Division championship game.
North Kansas City 63, Park Hill South 48
North Kansas City senior guard D’Anthony Pennington scored 30 points and junior guard Malik Johnson added 15 in the Hornets’ 15-point victory. North Kansas City went 8 for 14 from three-point range in the win.
North Kansas City will play at 9 p.m. Monday in the Cardinal Division championship game against Raymore-Peculiar.
Grandview 49, Rockhurst 37
Grandview held Rockhurst to 24 percent shooting from the field for a double-digit victory in the Nelson Division semifinals and will play Staley at 6 p.m. Monday for the Nelson title.
Sophomore Taj Manning led Grandview with 17 points and senior Reggie Morris added 16.
Staley 52, Center 44
Staley senior Byron Alexander scored eight of his game-high 17 points from the free-throw line and that made a difference in the Falcons’ eight-point win in a Nelson Division semifinals game.
Staley, which went 16 for 27 from the free-throw line, will play in the Nelson Division championship game at 6 p.m. Monday.
Liberty North 64, Odessa 58
Liberty North senior guard Jalen Perry scored 24 points and sophomore Justis Braden added 13 in the Cardinal Division consolation game. Liberty North will face Lee’s Summit West 10 a.m. Monday for fifth place.
Lee’s Summit West 58, Kearney 40
Lee’s Summit West took a 29-19 lead into halftime and maintained control in the second half. Junior Mike McKnight had a double-double for Lee’s Summit West, scoring 14 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Junior Tysen Brennan also had a double-double for the Titans, pulling down 11 rebounds and scoring 10.
Friday’s games
North Kansas City 65, Lee’s Summit West 64
In an opening-round Cardinal Division game that was back and forth throughout, Northtown junior Malik Johnson drained two free throws to boost the Hornets’ lead to three midway through the final period. The cushion was enough for North Kansas City to hang on for the win. Johnson finished with 23 points.
Park Hill South 67, Kearney 50
Park Hill South was down 18-10 but led 29-28 at half on a basket by senior Connor Robertson. The Panthers continued to hit shots after the break to keep pulling away. Josh Prososki led PHSHS with 16 points.
Raytown 68, Liberty North 67
The way the final 10 seconds played out left the crowd breathless and thrilled at the same time. Liberty North took a one-point lead with 6 seconds remaining when senior Jalen Perry drove to the basket for a layup.
Raytown didn’t flinch. The Blue Jays quickly got the ball into the hands of speedy senior point guard Cortez Howlett. He raced down the court and laid the ball in at the buzzer, giving Raytown the one-point win.
“I saw there was an open lane,” said Howlett, who finished with 14 points. “They are big, but I was never rattled making that layup because I have done it before. Fourth quarter, 10 seconds left, I put the team on my back.”
Junior Aaron Franklin led Raytown in scoring with 21 points. Liberty North got 21 points from senior Benny Kaplan and 17 points from Perry.
Raymore-Peculiar 59, Odessa 25
Senior 6-7 forward Kian Scroggins and 6-6 senior forward Conrad Hawley and some timely outside shooting from senior guard Jordan Jermain was too much for Odessa to handle. The three players combined for 36 points.
Central 60, Oak Park 41
St Joseph Central outscored Oak Park 22-10 in the final quarter and came away with a double-digit victory in the Nelson Division consolation bracket. The Indians will play Blue Springs South 1 p.m. Monday in the fifth-place game.
Blue Springs South 69, Fort Osage 54
Junior Devin Tomlinson scored 16 points and senior Khayden Hooks added 14 for Blue Springs South. Fort Osage senior Triston Turner kept Fort Osage in striking distance, scoring 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting from the field.
Truman 60, Blue Springs 51
Truman bounced back from a tough overtime loss with a nine-point win. Senior Kaimen Lennox scored 19 points for Truman and senior Macio Moananu added 18. Truman will face Lee’s Summit at 11:30 a.m. Monday in a fifth-place game.
Lee’s Summit 69, Winnetonka 46
Lee’s Summit jumped to a 25-11 lead in the first quarter and cruised to a 23-point win. Leading the way for the Tigers were sophomore Max Whisner, who scored a game-high 16 points and senior Felix Anudike, who added 11.
This story was originally published December 28, 2019 at 3:37 PM.