Park Hill South makes Staley pay for tough loss to Liberty North

Park Hill South boys responded to a tough overtime loss to Liberty by throttling Staley last Friday night. The Panthers topped the Falcons 65-39 behind 26 points from Evan Hines and 12 points from Robert Lane. The win came three nights after South let a fourth-quarter lead get away at home, leading to a 53-50 overtime loss to Liberty. Hines had 13 points to lead the Panthers, while Mitch Henderson added 10 points and Hudson Welty, nine. South, 8-4 entering this week, is scheduled to play this week at the North Kansas City Invitational and will play at rival Park Hill on Jan. 28. • Park Hill boys moved to 7-5 on the season with a 67-61 win over Liberty North last week. Landry Shamet scored a game-high 25 points for the Trojans, who used a 20-12 third quarter to take control. Kenny McConnell added 11 points. “It was a big win for us against a very good Liberty North team,” Park Hill coach David Garrison said. “I felt we were very unselfish offensively, and our ball movement was much better than it had been. Defensively we were at a huge disadvantage with their big guys, but our help-side defense and our rotations were excellent.” Park Hill was scheduled to open play in the Basehor-Linwood (Kan.) Tournament Jan. 21 versus Topeka Hayden. • North Platte boys won one of three games in the Lawson Tournament last week. In the opening round, the Panthers fell 63-38 to a hot-shooting Richmond squad. Levi Stillwell had nine points and five rebounds, while Anthony Hernandez netted eight points. North Platte bounced back for a 58-38 win over Carrollton in the consolation bracket semifinals. Stillwell led the way with 15 points, 12 rebounds and seven blocked shots. Austin Shanks added 12 points and four steals and Andrew Roberts had 11 points and six assists. “We bounced back pretty well in this game,” North Platte coach Brendan Cary said. “We had some balance on the floor as far as contributions throughout the game. Levi’s inside presence is hard for most teams to get around. We had some struggles in the second quarter, but the guys responded well and took care of business in the second half.” In the consolation final, North Platte lost 57-52 to Gallatin. Stillwell scored 22 points, while Roberts had 12 and Shanks, 10. “It came down to a number of opportunities throughout the game where we didn’t focus and execute,” Cary said. “We’re improving, but we have yet to hit that game where we are strong from start to finish. If we can get there, we will have a very strong end to our season.” North Platte, 4-9 entering this week, was scheduled to play at Mound City Jan. 21. The Panthers will play host to Hamilton Friday night and will also host the North Platte Invitational next week.