It took six years, but the Park Hill boys’ basketball team (6-4) finally brought home the first-place plaque in the William Jewell Classic on Dec. 30.
Before coming out on top in the Patterson Division on the second to last day of 2022, 2016 was the last time Park Hill was able to win its respected division in the tournament. Coming off a third-place finish last season, 2017 was the last time the Trojans even made it to the championship, albeit in losing fashion at the time.
In the 43rd Annual William Jewell Classic, the Trojans won their first two games with ease before having a rematch with North Kansas City (6-3) – who beat Park Hill 102-95 in the season opener on Nov. 29 – in the championship. In the second matchup in 31 days between the squads there was a different result with 74 less points scored.
The game was tight early on as expected, being tied at 15 after the first eight minutes of play, but the Trojans started the second quarter on a 15-1 run to take an eventual 32-18 lead at the break. The Hornets buzzed back in the third quarter, opening the frame with the first 11 points in just 2:37 to cut the Park Hill lead down to 35-31.
The Trojans eventually got out of the scoring drought and responded with an 8-0 run. Desire Tonye-Nyemeck beat the third quarter buzzer and the Hornets trailed 48-37.
The fourth quarter was filled with North Kansas City fouls and Park Hill trips to the charity stripe as the Trojans went zero-for-five from the field and 14-for-17 from the free throw line in the frame. The Hornets brought it within four points in the final two minutes of the game, with the Trojans holding on to win 62-61.
Park Hill senior Kendrick Bell was the Patterson Division MVP after he led the Trojans to a 61-60 win over North Kansas City in the championship game at William Jewell College on Dec. 30.
Kendrick Bell had a season-high 28 points in the championship when he made nine of his 13 free throws, along with snagging nine boards, dishing out three assists and forcing three steals en route to being the Patterson Division Most Valuable Player. In the three tournament games, the senior averaged 20.3 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals while shooting 61 percent from the field and 71 percent from deep.
Marqueas Bell was one of five players on the eight teams in the division to be on the all-tournament team. He shot 15-for-33 from the field and made seven of his nine free throw attempts when averaging 12.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists and one block per game in the William Jewell Classic.
Park Hill started the tournament with a 77-49 win over St. Pius X (0-6) on Dec. 28 when the Bell brothers combined for 33 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists. Gavin Schaag and Akoi Akoi both ended with nine points as Schaag knocked down three shots from deep and dished out four assists.
In the semifinals, Park Hill took down Belton (7-5) 70-55 on Dec. 29 when the Trojans scored 44 points in the paint and led by as much as 22 points. Schaag scored a team-high 17 points and Akoi surpassed the double-digit point barrier for the first time this season with 13.
The Trojans enter 2023 with a season-best 3-game winning streak and are two games above .500 for the first time this winter. Park Hill had a road matchup against Liberty (3-6) on Jan. 3 and will be hosting rival Park Hill South (7-2) on Jan. 6.