The Park Hill girls’ basketball team (3-8) started 2023 off by putting up a fight against one of the top teams in the metro area but fell 42-31 after a cold shooting fourth quarter against Liberty (8-2) on Jan. 5.
Both squads entered the night with polar opposite streaks as the Lady Blue Jays had won their previous seven games and the Lady Trojans were on a 4-game losing skid. Park Hill slowed the game down early, having multiple possessions that lasted at least 40 seconds and limiting Liberty to less than 10 possessions in the opening frame.
The Lady Trojans led 5-4 when the first quarter buzzer sounded, but trailed 14-5 with four minutes left in the half. Park Hill ended the second quarter on an 11-2 run to retake the lead at 16-14 at the break.
The Lady Trojans had some offensive struggles down the stretch – specifically in the fourth quarter – but stayed in the game in the third quarter. After being tied at 26 with eight minutes to play, Park Hill only scored five more points.
Liberty junior Addi Ricklefs was a huge factor in the Lady Blue Jays’ second half as she scored all of her game-high 14 points in the final 16 minutes. Park Hill had 15 turnovers – opposed to Liberty’s eight – and only made nine shots on 38 attempts.
Six of the seven Lady Trojans who stepped on the floor scored, led by Boston Wand’s seven points and seven rebounds. Maddie Crump had six points, while Lydia Keller, Miah Crockett and McKenna Sonsa all had five points each.
Park Hill will look to bounce back in the Kearney Tournament this week. After that, the Lady Trojans will head to Raymore-Peculiar (5-6) on Jan. 16.