When Liberty (5-6) regained a 51-50 lead in overtime of the 2022 Bulldog Classic Girls’ Championship Game, Park Hill (8-5) had 13 seconds to try to take the lead.
Amaya Blake brought the ball down the court and kicked it to McKenna Sonsa on the left wing with about four seconds left. The sophomore reversed directions and drove to the right block and shot a contested layup but was unable to put the ball in the hoop as the buzzer sounded and the Liberty Blue Jays ran off the court as tournament champions on Jan. 14.
Park Hill senior Amaya Blake, above, scored 14 of the Trojans 28 first half points of the Bulldog Classic Championship Game on Jan. 14.
“We just have to be able to execute in crucial times,” Park Hill head coach Aaron Neeser said. “We need to be able to handle the pressure, but we are growing and I’m proud of every one of them who are walking out of that locker room tonight.”
In what lived up to the hype of a championship game, Park Hill and Liberty was in a battle all night long. The Trojans were without Kennedy Townsend who has been out with an injury, so Park Hill relied on Blake early as the senior scored 14 of Park Hill’s 28 first half points.
“Our kids are trying to learn how to play without Kennedy and they are doing a great job with it and buying into it. All this is going to do is make us better by the end of the year,” Neeser said.
Liberty clinged to a 28-23 halftime lead, but Park Hill fought back in the second half when a layup by Blake with 5:34 left gave the Trojans their first lead since the opening frame, 39-38. With 28.7 seconds remaining in regulation, Park Hill trailed 43-41 and called timeout with possession.
The Trojans turned the ball over out-of-bounds before getting a shot off and it appeared that Liberty would win the game in regulation, but Sonsa came up clutch. The sophomore stole the inbound pass and drew a foul with 21.1 seconds left and made both attempts to tie the game.
“We just made some plays. We missed some opportunities and executed when we needed to in order to get back into the game,” Neeser said.
After both teams had one more offensive possession in regulation, the game headed into extra time tied at 43. There were two ties and five lead changes in overtime when Blake scored six of Park Hill’s seven points.
“I wish for the kids that they would have gotten over that hump tonight, but it just didn’t work out that way. Liberty made big plays down the stretch, and we did at times, but it wasn’t enough,” Neeser said.
After receiving a first-round bye in the tournament, Park Hill defeated Raytown South (11-3) 52-20 on Jan. 12. The Trojans will look to bounce back at home when they host Raymore-Peculiar (4-8) on Jan. 20.