Clash for a cause: Park Hill, Park Hill South primed for rivalry game that will raise money for the American Cancer Society

The Park Hill and Park Hill South boys basketball teams will face off on Friday night after coming off just barely missing out on tournament titles in the Basehor-Linwood and North Kansas City Tournaments this past weekend. Their second place finishes leave an unfulfilled gap of accomplishment for what will already be a contentious rivalry game between two of the hottest teams in the metro this season. Not only will the game itself be a matchup of two solid squads, but it will also bring together two fan bases for a worthy case as they raise money for the American Cancer Society.

“It’s a great chance for people to contribute along with our hoops club having a raffle,” Garrison said of the opportunities available to donate. “It’s the first year we’ve done it. The Great Kansas City Basketball Association has made it a goal to raise money for the American Cancer Association.”

"Friday’s game should be a fun night," Siouth head coach Anthony Perry said. "Park Hill is playing good basketball and it should be a competitive game.  Last year we had a game against Staley to raise funds for cancer and it was a great event for a great cause.  So I called David and asked him if he’d be interested in doing the same thing for our game and he agreed.  Everyone knows someone who has dealt with cancer and I’m excited about having the opportunity to help."

Park Hill (12-5, 4-1) and Park Hill South (12-6, 6-1) are two teams with considerable talent and experience. One key area to watch will be South’s Christian Hildebrandt and Park Hill’s De’Aris Flint, two of the most athletic players on the court. Hildebrandt’s three point capabilities make him a threat against what will otherwise be a physical and agile matchup between the two forwards. Another pair to watch will be Park Hill’s Anthony Walters and South’s Rocky Benson. The two point guards have displayed strong ball handling skills thus far along with the ability to be aggressive to the basket. Additionally, expect to see Benson handling defensive duties against Park Hill’s top-scorer Nsenki from time to time.

“It’s going to be a great game. They’re well coached and have got a good group back from last year and a good group of newcomers filling in,” Garrison said of Park Hill South’s squad.

The Trojans and Panthers featured similar paths to their respective tournament championship game appearances last weekend. Park Hill forced overtime in their semi-final game against Maryville before finally pulling out the victory 57-55 to advance to the title game against host school Basehor-Linwood. The home school crowd put the Trojans in a hostile environment, one in which they might not encounter all season with the nature of small-town Kansas basketball. A foul infested game, Park Hill simply was unable to rebound effectively and convert free throws to overcome Basehor-Linwood’s relentlessness. On top of that, the Bobcats were able to hold leading scorer Chris Nsenki to just 12 points. Despite not performing in several key areas, the Trojans were able to only be down by as much as 13 points in the second half before eventually falling 53-45 after cutting the lead to just three late in the game. De’Aris Flint led the Trojans with 13 points.

“I think we lost rebounds 11-2 in the fourth quarter and that’s when you have to do your best,” Coach David Garrison said. “When one part is off, you can’t have another off. We have to play through things, whether that is the crowd or a call. We can’t let that affect us when we’re playing against the hometown team. We can’t let things beyond our control affect our game.”

Garrison said the opportunity to play in Kansas against teams they’re not familiar with was a good thing.

“I think it’s a good break between the beginning of the conference season and the end,” Garrison said. “It’s a good chance to play teams you usually don’t see and is a nice change of pace.”

For Park Hill South, it wasn’t the semifinal game, but the title game that required overtime against Truman. In what appeared to be a tight game throughout, Park Hill South faced a 26-25 halftime deficit before regaining the lead going into the fourth quarter by just a point at 40-39. Over time was forced in the fourth, but the give and take experienced the entire game ended in the Patriots’ favor with a close 55-54 Truman victory. Christian Hildebrandt has 23 points along with Adam Schemenauer’s 14.