Park Hill South junior Cahmai Crosby drives in against two Liberty defenders in the championship game on Dec. 30.
The Park Hill South boys’ basketball team (6-4) took care of business in the opening two rounds of the William Jewell Holiday Classic, defeating Van Horn (1-5) and Ruskin (3-7), but ran into Goliath in the championship game and fell 64-34 against Liberty (9-0) on Dec. 30.
Opening tournament play of the Holley Division against Van Horn on Dec. 28, Park Hill South relied on a double-double from Miles Fant to cruise to an 18-point victory. The senior scored 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and the Panthers knocked down five shots from downtown in the 49-31 win.
Park Hill South was in a more competitive game in the next round against Ruskin on Dec. 29 when Fant came to the rescue once again. In a tight contest that was knotted at 27 at the break, the senior Panther converted on a three-point play with 14.9 seconds remaining to give Park Hill South a 49-48 lead.
The Panthers stepped up defensively, not allowing the Eagles to score, and knocked down a pair of free throws to seal a 51-48 victory. Fant’s strong performances throughout the first two rounds of the Holiday Classic earned him a spot on the Holley Division All-Tournament Team.
In the championship game against Liberty, J.D. Roberts knocked down a trey in the opening two minutes to give the Panthers a 3-2 lead, but it was all downhill from there for Park Hill South. For the next 11:17 of the contest, Liberty outscored Park Hill South 22-4 – which included a 14-5 lead at the end of the first quarter – and the Panthers trailed 34-14 at the break.
The Blue Jays’ offense was efficient in the opening half, converting on 53.6 percent of their attempts while the Panthers shot 25 percent from the field. Liberty continued to have success putting the ball through the hoop in the second half and was able to sail to a 30-point victory.