Blue Valley North, BV Northwest win overtime hoops thrillers at 810 Varsity Showcase

The 40th edition of the 810 Varsity Showcase high school basketball event, played Saturday at Blue Valley Northwest, proved every bit as exciting as any of its predecessors over the last decade.

The event featured two games that were originally scheduled to be played Jan. 4, before a major winter storm intervened.

Both games were deadlocked at 53-53 at the end of regulation, so each was decided in overtime.

No. 8 Blue Valley North 61, No. 6 Staley 60

CJ Duson’s late-game heroics helped left Blue Valley North to an overtime win over Staley, the No. 6-ranked team in the 810 Varsity Top 25.

Duson hit a pair of free throws as No. 8 Blue Valley North (12-3) built a 59-55 lead with 1:07 left in overtime. But Falcons sophomore Jackson Smith drained a 3-pointer from the corner to make it 59-58.

Mustangs sophomore Will Davis, who scored 19 points, found fellow post Trey Weixeldorfer on the right block for a lay-in and 61-58 lead with 44 seconds remaining.

Trey Moore’s pair of free throws pulled Staley within a point, 61-60, with 32 seconds left, and that’s where the score remained at the final buzzer.

“We’ve had a lot of really close games recently and won at the buzzer a few weeks back, so our guys have been practicing and locking in on time and score situations,” Mustangs coach Ryan Phifer said. “The guys really believe if we’re up or down 10, it could come down to any possession ... It’s fun to watch a young team grow as they have this year.”

Moore gave Staley a 53-50 lead with two free throws with 1:04 left in regulation. But Duson drained a guarded 21-footer from the wing to knot the score at 53 with 41 seconds left. Duson finished with a game-high 20 points, including five 3-pointers — none bigger than the game-tying 3 in regulation.

“I had a big (man) on me, and if I drive, he might get a block on me,” Duson said. “He was sagging off a bit, so I shot it and it went in. I thought, ‘We’ve gotta get a stop and force overtime,’ and it felt good.”

Staley (14-5) had a chance to win in regulation, but Avian Webb’s 22-footer from the top of the key caromed off the back iron as time expired.

Webb finished with 18 points, while Moore added 17.

No. 18 Blue Valley Northwest 61, No. 3 Rockhurst 59

Blue Valley Northwest made its case for moving back up in the area hoops rankings.

Veterans of the 810 Varsity Showcase events, the Huskies (11-4) had dropped two of their most recent three games. Beating the Hawklets (16-4), who were making their 810 Varsity Showcase debut, should give Northwest a lift for the remainder of the Eastern Kansas League play.

“Honestly, this is our fifth non-conference game in a row and I told the guys maybe I had over-scheduled us,” Huskies coach Aaron Ihm said. “This was another great team (with) great size and great shooters, but our dudes just get after it.”

At the end of a back-and-forth regulation, Rockhurst senior Callen Eskew made two free throws for a 53-51 Hawklets lead with 43 seconds to go.

That’s when Northwest sophomore Lincoln Elliott picked a good time for his only bucket of the game. Senior Keaton Humphrey drove baseline before kicking behind to Elliott, who coolly drained the long-distance attempt to tie it at 53.

In overtime the Huskies held a 60-59 lead with 9 seconds left but missed two free throws. Rockhurst missed a 3-point attempt of its own and freshman Baron Marshall hit one of two free-throw attempts to complete the scoring.

Humphrey led the Huskies with 17 points, while Ayden McGibboney added 10.

“These games have shaped us going into the EKL games,” Humphrey said of his team’s recent non-conference matchups. “We have tough games ahead and we’ll see what we’re made of going into substate.”

Eskew paced Rockhurst with 20 points. Kemper Roberts added 13.