Kansas vs. Missouri: High school basketball bragging rights were on the line Saturday
High school basketball bragging rights were on the line Saturday as teams from Kansas played counterparts from Missouri in 810 Varsity’s Showcase 33 event.
Here are recaps from Saturday’s action:
Blue Valley Northwest 64, Staley 53
In a battle of defending state champions, Blue Valley Northwest posted state bragging rights in 810 Varsity’s Showcase 33 lineup of Kansas vs Missouri.
The Huskies, ranked No. 2 in the 810 Varsity Top 25 and the 2023 Class 6A state champ, pulled away for a 64-53 win over defending Missouri Class 6 champs Staley on Saturday night.
After a tight first half with a 27-22 Huskies lead, Northwest opened things up behind 17 points each by seniors Joey Mattioni and Jake Fritz 17.
Avian Webb posted a game-high 20 points for Staley, while KV Stone added 16.
North Kansas City 57, Mill Valley 50
Ed Fritz’s return to the Blue Valley district resulted in the usual outcome: a win.
The longtime head coach, who coached 19 years at Blue Valley Northwest until 2021, oversaw North Kansas City in a win over fellow 810 Varsity Top 10 foe Mill Valley. But it wasn’t easy at the end.
The Hornets, No. 6 in the 810 Varsity Top 25, held off a furious run by No. 8 Mill Valley for a 57-50 win in 810 Varsity Showcase 33 at Blue Valley North.
North Kansas City built a 40-21 lead midway in the third quarter, but Mill Valley carved into the lead after a JaKhai Carter steal and layup, Mason Kemp baseline shot and a Kale Drummond three-pointer trimmed the deficit to 46-41 with 4:12 left.
A Herb Bass bucket-and-one pushed the margin to 49-41 with 3:30 left, but a Carter leaner, a Carter Kaifes offensive putback, and a Carter baseline three pulled Mill Valley to 49-38.
However, Kamron Tate hit a bucket, followed by two Xavius Kirkwood free throws to push the lead to 53-49 with 55 seconds left. A Kemp baseline shot missed forcing a foul, and Jaiden Washington canned two charity tosses to seal the game.
Samuel Dada tossed in 14, while Bass and Tate added 13 for the Hornets. Carter paced the Jaguars with 16, while Drummond scored 10.
Olathe South 56, Pembroke Hill 47
The Falcons played spoiler for Pembroke Hill’s debut in the 810 Varsity events with a 56-47 win on Saturday.
Olathe South, ranked No. 10 in the 810 Varsity Top 25, led as much as 47-35 to start the final period. But the Raiders rallied to pull within 51-47 after two straight buckets by sophomore Cal Sprott. Sprott paced the Raiders with 16, while Mav Hawkins added 13.
However, Nic Anderson went to work for Olathe South with two straight trips to the free-throw line to push the margin to 54-47 with under a minute left. Anderson and Matthew Corrales each led O-South with 13, while Josiah Polynice added 12.
Piper 70, Raytown South 43
Piper made its presence known in a big way with a 70-43 blowout over Raytown South in game two of 810 Varsity Showcase 33.
After a nip-and-tuck 19-14 first quarter, the No. 21 Pirates built on their lead for a 37-19 bulge at halftime.
Senior Devin Kerr led the assault with 22 points, while DJ Thomas added 12. Malik Tillman, Travon Henderson and Jaden Jones each scored 10 apiece for the Cardinals.
Blue Valley West 69, Hogan Prep 46
Hogan Prep gave it a go with just five players, but in the end, Blue Valley West proved to be too much.
The No. 15 team in the 810 Varsity Top 25 pulled away for a runaway 69-46 win over the Rams. Hogan Prep trailed 15-14 after the first period, but the Jaguars got going with 16 points from Gavin Harvey, while ELi Lovich and William Watson added 12.
DaJuan Barrett paced the Rams with 19, while Jeremiah Flemons added 16.
Blue Valley Southwest 53, Center 35
The Timberwolves jumped out to an early 11-0 lead and never looked back, handling Center, 53-35
Jackson Bonczynski led Blue Valley Southwest with a game-high 19 points, while senior Emmitt Peters tossed in 12.
Alex Kellum paced Center with 10 points.
BV Southwest 52, Pembroke Hill 37 (girls)
In a battle of short-handed teams, one of Blue Valley Southwest’s top reserves answered the call.
The Timberwolves topped Pembroke Hill in the morning opener for Showcase 33. BV Southwest had a few players out, under the weather or due to injury, but junior Olivia Payne stepped with four 3-pointers en route to 14 points.
Southwest held a 20-17 halftime lead over the Raiders, who were beleaguered with injuries before the season. But junior Lily Unruh netted 12 of her game-high 17 points to help her team open a 33-26 lead through third quarters.
Kenedy Nutter, Holly Woods and Lauren Legg each scored eight for Pembroke Hill.
