Park Hill played the role of spoiler on Friday, Dec. 1, when they went into the new basketball gymnasium at North Kansas City High School and beat the Hornets, 84-83, in double overtime.
The contest was one for the ages as the Trojans rallied from a double-digit deficit when the second half started and scored 16 points in the fourth quarter to forge a tie at 67 to end regulation. In the first overtime session, both teams scored 10 points and were deadlocked at 77 going into the second extra session.
The Trojans had just enough in the double overtime to pull out a victory in the season opener against a Hornets team that was getting votes in the Class 5 poll issued by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association.
Submitted photo
Park Hill’s Shemarree Shareef, right, guards North Kansas City’s D’Anthony Pennington during a game on Friday, Dec. 1 at the new North Kansas City Fieldhouse. Park Hill won in double overtime in its season opener.
D’Anthony Pennington dropped an eye-popping 43 points for North Kansas City, but was held to nine points combined in the overtime sessions.
Pennington did most of his damage early, scoring 10 points in the first quarter as the Hornets took a 20-12 lead over the Trojans, a Class 5 playoff qualifier the past two season. Pennington did one better in the second quarter by scoring 13 points and gave his team a 39-28 lead.
He had 23 at the break and had four 3-pointers. He finished with seven 3-pointers in the losing effort, hitting one in every quarter.
Nyk Bryant had nine of the Trojans’ 16 points in the second quarter.
Park Hill used a balanced attack to comeback. In the third quarter six different players scored, with Truman State commit Nic Zeil tallying seven of his team-high 25 points in the quarter. Five different players scored in the fourth, five each from Zeil — all from the free-throw line — and Tavian Josenberger, who has stepped into the point guard role.
Four of the Trojans starting five scored in double figures. Zeil’s 25 was followed by 20 from Bryant. Ryan Graves had 13, all coming between the second half and overtime and Josenberger had 11.
Park Hill South 62, Lawrence, Kan. 51
Playing in an 810 Varsity Showcase on Saturday, Dec. 1, the Panthers posted a win over the Class 6A No. 2-ranked Lions.
The teams had a very similiar scoring trend through the first three quarters, but the Panthers (1-0) tallied 15 in the fourth quarter to pull away for the win.
Park Hill South, ranked No. 5 in the Class 5 Missouri Basketball Coaches Association poll, got six points from Desi Williams in the fourth. Division I signee Lamel Robinson (Nebraska-Omaha) added his final five points and tallied 24 points.
Robinson had seven baskets, two 3-pointers, and went 4-for-6 from the free-throw line. He scored at least four points in every quarter to rack up the game-high tally.
Williams finished with 18 points, matching Robinson with seven baskets.
Park Hill South led 24-20 after the first quarter.
Robinson had nine points in the first quarter, but one behind the effort from Zeke Mayo of Lawrence, as the sophomore hit a pair of 3s. Mayo finished with a team-high 18 points for the Lions.
Both teams scored eight points in the second quarter, giving the Panthers a 32-28 lead at the break.
Lawrence pulled within four points after the third quarter thanks to a six-point quarter by Savonni Shazor, but he got injured in the fourth quarter and finished with 13 points.