Park Hill South senior Colby Kiedrowski (#1) shoots a floater in the first-round loss to Liberty North at William Jewell College on Dec. 27.
LIBERTY – Looking to make it to the championship game in its respective bracket of the William Jewell Boys’ Basketball Holiday Classic for the second time in the last three seasons, Park Hill South (5-5) lost its opening game for the first time since 2017.
Park Hill South was sent to the left side of the Patterson Division Bracket in a tough overtime loss to Liberty North on Dec. 27. The Panthers led by two points in the first 90 seconds but were behind for the rest of regulation, going into the locker room behind 22-17.
Cooper Oathout was big in the second half, scoring seven of his nine points after the break. Park Hill South led by as much as 11 points – which was the margin going into the fourth quarter – but the offense got going late. In the final eight minutes of regulation, the Panthers outscored the Eagles 15 to four.
Colby Kiedrowski sunk a pair of free throws, tying the game up at 42 with 39 seconds to go in regulation. Liberty North had two shots in the final seconds, but missed both, so the game went into overtime.
Damon Stacker scored the first bucket of the period, but Liberty North responded with a 3-pointer which ignited an 8-0 run to close out the contest. This was the first matchup since 2020 and the Eagles’ first win in the series since another overtime game that same year.
Kiedrowski played every second of the 36-minute contest, ending with nine points and three assists. Oathout and Carson Bjorn – who ended with eight points – both were efficient scorers, shooting 3-of-5 on the night.
Stacker finished with eight points, two assists and three steals. Michael Good forced three steals on defense and also ended with eight points offensively. The Panthers bounced back with a 39-30 win over Center on Dec. 28.
Park Hill South then defeated Lincoln Prep 58-47 in the fifth-place game on Dec. 29. Kiedrowski earned the hustle award in the Patterson Division.