Staley, Park Hill South girls basketball delivered in powerhouse matchup. Here’s who won

In one of the most anticipated games in recent KC-metro girls basketball history, Staley and Park Hill South didn’t let anyone down.

With one combined loss between Park Hill South and the Falcons, a standing-room-only crowd filled Staley’s arena for the Class 6, District 8 final on Tuesday night. In the end, the No. 2 seeded Falcons dealt the No. 1 seed and previously undefeated Panthers their only loss of the season, 51-43, to advance to the quarterfinals.

Staley (28-1) took a 37-28 lead early in the fourth quarter after a Destiny Manyawu bucket, but South’s Addison Bjorn completed an and-one for a 37-31 deficit with 6:03 left. Three straight Staley misses led to another Bjorn driving bucket and a 3-pointer on the right wing by Anaya Guess for a 37-36 margin with 4:35 left.

But two Reminyss Grant free throws, an Ava Miles hoop in the lane and London Parker layup pushed the lead to 43-36. Meanwhile, Staley held Bjorn, the Naismith Honorable Mention All-American who netted a game-high 19 points, without an attempt while South missed seven straight attempts in the interval.

A Guess 3 and Bjorn runner through the lane pulled the Panthers to 47-41 with just 0:40 left. Then Miles canned four three throws in the fourth period to help ice the game, en route to a team-high 16 points.

Park Hill South (28-1) opened with an early 11-6 lead, but Manyawu’s seven second-quarter points fueled Staley to a 22-18 lead. Then Parker scored six of her 15 points in the third to help boost the Falcons to a 35-28 advantage entering the final period.

Staley will face Rock Bridge (20-8) in the Missouri Class 6 quarterfinals in Columbia on Saturday.

Other area district finals

Class 6: Lee’s Summit West 79, Lee’s Summit North 69

Class 5: Grandview 52, Summit Christian Academy 29

Class 5: St. Teresa’s Academy 53, Platte County 47

Area Class 4 quarterfinals

Benton 77, Excelsior Springs 32

Boonville 37, Notre Dame de Sion 35

For more recaps, brackets, broadcast links and more, visit 810Varsity.com