The Battle of the Hill has been a lopsided affair in girls basketball over the past four seasons, with Park Hill South winning eight of nine meetings against Park Hill. That pattern continued on Jan. 8, when the Panthers used a comeback effort to hand their district rival yet another defeat, this time on the Trojans’ home court.
After a cagey first half, the Panthers used a 27-point performance in the second half to accelerate past their district rival by a final score of 39-27. It was the first time the Panthers have won at Park Hill since the Trojans opened their new gym.
“It doesn’t matter which gym you’re in, it’s hard to win here,” Park Hill South head coach Josh Dorr said. “It’s a tough environment. It’s a rivalry game, so the crowd shows up. You have to be able to handle the emotion, and I think we did that as we got rolling with it.”
Freshman forward Ja’Kyla Wright had 12 points in Park Hill’s defeat to Park Hill South on Jan. 8.
The Panthers’ offense faced some early struggles trying to figure out their opponent, but South’s defense bailed them out, keeping the game close and eventually taking a first-quarter lead.
Park Hill asserted its dominance in the first half when the Trojans worked the paint well between freshman forward Ja’Kyla Wright and sophomore Nikyah Chappell, who accounted for all four Park Hill scores in the opening frame to put the hosts ahead 8-4. They learned how quickly things can change.
A late Park Hill South surge was spurred by a 3-pointer from Sara Listrom, and quickly followed by a steal and score from Paige Farber. Within the span of 16 seconds, South went from trailing by four to taking a 9-8 lead going into the second quarter.
Momentum shifted back towards Park Hill’s advantage in the second quarter, when South star Addison Bjorn got into foul trouble after picking up her third foul of the contest just over the midway point of the second quarter. Bjorn’s third foul — a technical foul — allowed Audrey Sims to sink both free throws and give the Trojans a 12-11 lead, which was eventually extended to 15-11 before South got within three at halftime.
Despite trailing at halftime, Dorr reiterated to his team that they were still in a good position. They just needed to take better care of the ball on offense and the points will come.
“Just stay calm,” Dorr said. “We weathered the storm; they gave us their best shot. We’ve got to come out now. Defensively, we only gave up 15 points, so when you give up only 15 points in a half, you’re going to win most games.”
Addison Bjorn scored 19 of her 23 points in the second half against Park Hill.
The game opened up more in the second half as Park Hill South found more rhythm with Bjorn returning to the floor. Of the Panthers’ 13 points in the third, Bjorn scored 11, with seven coming from the free-throw line. South opened the second half on a 13-4 run to take a 25-19 lead before a pair of scores got the Trojans back within a bucket going to the fourth.
South remained in front throughout the fourth, but each time they made it a two-possession game, Park Hill had an answer. Eventually, the Panthers created some separation from the charity stripe as the Trojans let a close game unravel into a double-digit deficit, with Park Hill South securing the 39-27 victory.
The road victory was South’s fifth consecutive win against their district rivals over the past two seasons. Park Hill’s Wright finished with 12 points as the Trojans dropped to 3-5 on the season.
Following a frustrating first-half performance, Bjorn showed up big in the second half. She was held to just four points in the first half, but 20 points in the second half made the difference.
Bjorn took center stage once again on Jan. 10, when the Panthers suffered a 56-55 defeat to Quincy (Illinois) in Columbia for their Sophie Cunningham Classic matchup. Park Hill South led by as many as 11 points in the third quarter, but a 23-point fourth quarter from Quincy overcame the deficit.
Bjorn scored 33 points, shooting 13 of 18 from the field, with 16 rebounds. She also had an opportunity to extend the game from the line, but after making her first free-throw, her second shot missed as Quincy took the victory. The reigning Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year is on the verge of becoming the first player in program history to record 2,000 career points — less than 70 points from reaching the milestone.
Park Hill South now sits at 7-4 this season and remains optimistic after overcoming some injuries and illnesses that hampered them during a three-game losing skid that was snapped last week. They continue non-conference competition by hosting matchups against Grandview on Jan. 12 and Lee’s Summit West on Jan. 15.