Here’s who claimed championships at the William Jewell Holiday Classic hoops tourney

Champions were crowned in Liberty on Saturday, the final day of the annual William Jewell Holiday Classic boys high school basketball tournament at William Jewell College.

Here are recaps from Saturday’s action:

Staley 71, Rockhurst 43

The halftime speech by Staley High boys basketball coach Chris Neff must’ve been one for the ages.

After holding a 27-26 lead at intermission in the championship game of the Nelson Division, the Falcons outscored Rockhurst 44-17 in the second half en route to a 71-43 victory.

Neff’s Staley squad won its fifth straight Holiday Classic championship — the only school to accomplish a “five-peat” in the 44-year history of this annual tournament.

“We’ve had a lot of great kids over the years with our program,” Neff said, “but to win five straight in an event as long and hard as Jewell, it just speaks volumes of our kids and what they pass down to the next class.”

Staley (7-3) shot 14 of 22 in the second half — 7 for 11 from 3-point range — and went a perfect 9-for-9 at the free-throw line.

Avian Webb scored 21 points, including four 3-pointers, and was named the Nelson Division Most Valuable Player. KV Stone (14 points), Jackson Smith (11) and Tavian Tate (10) also broke double figures as Staley drained 11 three-pointers as a team.

Kevin Sullivan led Rockhurst with 15 points.

Battle 63, North Kansas City 49

The Battle Spartans were ranked No. 7 in Missouri Class 6 entering this week’s event. They lived up to that billing, beating No. 15 Liberty in the semifinals and No. 3 North Kansas City for the title.

Ke’Shun Jackson netted a game-high 18 points and 10 rebounds for the Spartans on Saturday, while Tate McCubbin scored 12 and was named Most Valuable Player of the Holley Division.

The Hornets trailed 22-20 at halftime but shot a chilly 5-of-15 in the final period, including 0-for-4 from 3-point range. North Kansas City’s Samuel Dada scored a team-high 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds and was named to the Holley Division all-tourney team.

Oak Park 70, Blue Springs South 47

The Northmen, ranked No. 1 in the 810 Varsity Top 25 and No. 1 in Missouri Class 6 overall, routed Blue Springs South for the Patterson Division championship.

It’s the second straight year Oak Park has earned a title in this event, and the first with former Kansas Jayhawks star Sherron Collins as head coach.

Corbin Allen led Oak Park with a game-high 23 points and 10 rebounds, earning Patterson Division Most Valuable Player honors.

Zeek Brown added 16 points for Oak Park (9-1). The Northmen won their three games at William Jewell by an average of 27 points.

Sully Mohamed’s 12 points paced the Jaguars, who were playing in their first Jewell Classic final since 2018.

Third-place game results

Patterson Division: Central 60, Liberty North 47

Nelson Division: Winnetonka 56, Blue Springs 55

Holley Division: Liberty 62, Raymore-Peculiar 60

This story was originally published December 31, 2023 at 1:40 AM.