Park Hill, South look to Jewell Tournament

The William Jewell Holiday Tournament features some of the best high school basketball action and teams from around the metro year to year. 2012 will be no different and will provide some steep competition for Park Hill and Park Hill South who will be a part of the 24 team field, competing in separate brackets.

Park Hill came into their opening round matchup against Rockhurst (4-2) Wednesday afternoon after a slow 2-6 start to the season, but went into the Christmas break with an impressive win over North Kansas City (59-37), which they hope will give them some positive momentum to take into the tournament.

The Trojans have looked to sophomores Landry Shamet and Devonte Thornton to lead them offensively in the early season. Thornton led Park Hill with 15 points in their win over North Kansas City last week. Both have strong growth potential in the coming years. While Thornton will scrap down low, Landry can be a threat from the outside as well as attack the basket.

“He’s a very heady basketball player, a good shooter, and very good at getting himself to the basketball,” Park Hill coach David Garrison said. “He jumps really well, which I think surprises some people. I think as he gets older and stronger, he’ll be a good player for us.”

Park Hill has seen some tough competition in the early season, which they believe will benefit them as they face the heart of their conference schedule starting in January.

“We’ve played some really good teams before Christmas,” Garrison said. “Blue Springs, Blue Springs South, Jefferson City. This (tournament) is going to be another tough test for us.”

Depending on the outcome of Wednesday night’s game, Park Hill will next face St. Pius X or Harrisonville. Other possible opponents in the Trojans final game could include Kearney, Raytown, Truman, or Liberty.

In addition to having the potential to shoot the ball really well at times, Garrison said another key factor is their defensive pressure away from the ball.

“We’re really trying to emphasize our off-the-ball pressure defensively. We’ve put forth a good effort, but sometimes we let the ball go by us. We’re doing better, but that will be critical for us,” Garrison said. “We’re a work in progress and I think as we keep doing that, when we get into conference play, we’ll be playing a lot better.”

Garrison said seniors Keaton Anchors, Austin Truvillion, and Ricky Trammell have all contributed in different roles and with more confidence they’ll become even better.

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Park Hill South goes into the William Jewell Tournament as a two-seed with their 6-1 record and will match-up against Ray-Pec (2-4) in the Cardinal Division’s first round at 6pm Thursday. With a win, the Panthers hope to play Blue Springs the next day for the right to a title game appearance.

Park Hill South’s most recent victory came in a close 63-54 win over Belton on the road before a one week break leading up to this week’s tournament.

Under the leadership of first year head coach Rick Zych and a number of experienced players, Park Hill South got off to a hot start in the first half of their season. Combining a sometimes devastating balance between their physical post presence and soft outside shooting touch, the Panthers have positioned themselves as a team to watch in this tournament as well as going forward the rest of the season.