NIXA – Right after defeating the reigning Class 6 State Champions on a last-second shot, Park Hill (9-9) lost two of three in the 2024 Boys’ Nixa Invitational Basketball Tournament to take seventh place on Jan. 27.
Park Hill head basketball coach Chad Jones led the Trojans’ to a seventh-place finish at the Nixa Invitational Tournament on Jan. 27.
Coming off back-to-back losses to Lee’s Summit (8-9) and Lee’s Summit North (11-7), Park Hill bounced back with a 69-68 win over Staley (11-5) on Jan. 19. The Trojans had lost the last three games in the series before the late heroics by Gavin Schaag.
The Park Hill senior knocked down the go-ahead jumper from behind the arc with 1.4 seconds left to lift Park Hill to its first win in 14 days. Schaag shot 5-of-10 from downtown and finished with 15 points.
Cameron Jones had a team-high 21 points – shooting 6-of-12 from the field and 9-of-11 from the charity stripe – three points shy of his career-high. Isaiah Caston ended with 12 points, while Akoi Akoi and Desire Tonye-Nyemeck both scored 10 points.
Park Hill lost two close ones to start out the Nixa Invitational, being without Schaag. Park Hill came up four points shy against Logan-Rogersville (13-3) on Jan. 25.
Tonye-Nyemeck only missed two shots on 11 tries, scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Caston had 14 points and three assists and Donovan Fonville tied his career best 10 points.
The Trojans were in another tight one, coming up short 60-58 to Marquette (7-9) on Jan. 26. Jones led the way with 19 points and Caston had 16 points, surpassing double digits in four consecutive games.
Park Hill bounced back with a 68-58 win over Troy Buchanan (9-10) in the seventh-place game on Jan. 27. The Trojans will host Oak Park (17-1) on Feb. 2.