Five of the last six times the Trojans have stepped in between the baselines on the hardwood floors to compete, the Park Hill boys’ basketball team (12-7) has come out victorious.
After a 4-0 start to the season, the Trojans lost six of their next nine games but have since bounced back and currently hold a 6-3 conference record - which puts them in third place in the Gold Division standings. Park Hill’s most recent defeat came at the hands of Blue Springs (16-4) on Feb. 1.
Park Hill sophomore Gavin Schaag, above, goes up for a dunk attempt late in the Trojans 73-51 loss to Blue Springs on Feb. 1.
Neither team was able to take much of a margin in the opening five minutes as there were two ties and six lead changes. After Ryan Dodson tied the contest at six with 2:52 remaining in the first quarter, Blue Springs answered with a 10 to two run.
Park Hill trailed 16-8, but a Marqueas Bell putback layup and a Sammy Hall buzzer beater layup closed the gap. The Trojans fought back in the second quarter and once again beat the buzzer when Bell converted on a three-point play to give Park Hill a 33-30 lead at halftime.
Blue Springs took control of the second half – specifically senior Ikenna Ezeogu who scored 24 points in the second half. The Wildcat pounded the paint all night long and scored 14 of his 16 field goal attempts, good for 35 points.
Bell scored 17 of the Trojans’ 33 first half points - including three shots from behind the arc - but the Wildcats took a lead in the third quarter and never looked back. Bell ended with 25 points and had two steals on the night and Hall added 10 points.
Park Hill bounced back against Liberty North (9-10) on Feb. 4 and for the third time this season, the Eagles lost to the Trojans. Bell was three points short of reaching his season-high total in points when the junior scored 29 points and knocked down five of his eight 3-point attempts in the 71-55 victory in the Gold Division matchup.
Kendrick Bell finished with 14 points, three assists and four steals and Ty Schreck ended with 11 points and made all eight of his free throw attempts. Park Hill was perfect from the charity stripe, making all 14 attempts in the contest.
In the 810 Showcase versus Lee’s Summit West (8-11), Park Hill needed an extra four minutes of overtime action to take down the Titans 65-56 on Feb. 5. Lee’s Summit West led early on as it had a 27-18 margin after the opening frame.
The Trojans narrowed the deficit to one point at the break, and the second half was a back-and-forth battle until Park Hill pulled ahead in overtime. The Bell brothers carried a large load as they combined for 39 points and 18 rebounds, including four steals apiece.