5 Takeaways: Park Hill vs Lee’s Summit West (Championship Game)
A battle between two of the better teams around the area and maybe even in the state wasn’t much of a battle at all. The Lee’s Summit West Titans were able to keep the game close in the first half of the Championship game of the Stessman Invitational, but the Park Hill Trojans blew the game wide open with a huge 3rd quarter. Park Hill played really well and were very patient on the offensive end. They displayed great team work in working the ball around in their offensive sets and didn’t have to force too much. The Titans on the other hand really struggled on the offensive end. They turned the ball over a lot more than usual and didn’t get the great looks that the Trojans got. Park Hill shot the 9-13 in the 3rd quarter which helped them push their 6 point halftime lead to a 19 point lead. Lee’s Summit shot a mere 1-5 from the field in the 3rd quarter. Park Hill won the game by a score of 58-39 and was led by Willy Majok who tallied up 19 points. Lee’s Summit West was led by Malachi Butler who scored 12 points.
Star Players Missing for both squads
Obviously the play between the Park Hill Trojans and the Lee’s Summit West Titans wasn’t as crisp or great as it usually is. Both teams were without some pretty big players. Park Hill was without their star player Ronnie Bell who was out in Michigan visiting the Wolverines which is where he will be playing football next year. Ronnie Bell had back to back big games for the Trojans putting up 42 points in a triple over time win over the St. Joseph Lafayette Fighting Irish and 36 points in a big win over the Liberty Bluejays. Oh, and both games were won at the buzzer by Mr. Bell! He is putting together another amazing basketball season and has shown why he is if not the best, one of the best all around athletes in the area. Lee’s Summit West was without some big players as well, missing 3 of their 5 starters. Yor Anei who is the 6’9″ transfer forward has been sidelined a few games due to eligibility reasons should be back on the court and able to play later on in the season. Mario Goodrich and Phillip Brooks had played in previous games in the tournament. Goodrich is being recruited by some of the best D1 football programs in the nation while Brooks is also looking to take his career to the next level.
Willy Majok controlled the game
From start to finish, Majok was in total control of this game. He had the ball in his hands most of the time when the Trojans were on offense and was all over the floor on the defensive end. He found open teammates when driving to the bucket, but he also wasn’t afraid to take control and score the ball himself if needed. He has the ability to score the ball at all 3 levels and without their star player Bell, he knew that he would be the key factor in whether his team would take home the Championship or not. Majok played a really smart game and didn’t have to force anything, but just played smart basketball. He shot 50% from the field and had a game high 19 points.
Christian Bishop did all he could
Christian Bishop did what he could to keep the Titans in the game on Friday night, but the Trojans were able to contain Bishop and hold the Creighton commit to 8 points. There could have been a few reasons Bishop didn’t light up the score board. He seemed be nursing a little injury and probably played half of the game. It was really blatant in the first period when everyone saw Bishop go to the bench where he had to do a bit of stretching. Without the Bishop and the other 3 starters, the Titans were really shorthanded and had a big hill to climb. During Bishop’s time on the court, he was only able to get 3 shots up in which he knocked down two of them. He also went 3-4 from the charity stripe.
Park Hill’s patience & team play
Without Park Hill’s best player on Friday, the Trojans knew they would have to come in with a bit of a different game plan. Normally they have the ability to run and gun, but they showed the ability to adjust and play to their strengths. The Trojans moved the ball and played as a team on Friday. They kept the turnovers low and hit the boards on both ends of the court. When getting the ball inside or in the paint, the Trojans usually came away with points. They only knocked down two 3 pointers during the game, and that is usually one of their strong suits. As said above, Willy Majok had a great game in scoring and distributing the ball, but Junior Guard Ryan Graves also stepped up his game. He was the only other guy on the Trojan team to join Majok in double figures. He knocked down 5-6 from the line and finished with 11 points, but more importantly, he was another guard who could run the offense. Park Hill has had to play a few games without Bell this season, and it was easy to see on Friday that they can now adjust and play with great teams without him. When he does return, it will make this team very dangerous and they will have the ability to make a run later in the season.
Lee’s Summit West have a future?
This question isn’t really much of a question at all…The Titans definitely have a future and have proven to be one of the best teams in the state. Although, this is only true when they are healthy and have all of their players on the court. The Titans have one of the better starting 5’s around, and they all mesh really well together to form a monster of a team. The Titans are still one of the favorites to make a run for the state title, but if they do end up losing players to injuries or other reasons, it could really affect the chemistry and morale of the team. I still have a load of confidence in this team, but it will be interesting to see how they play down the stretch.