When the girls basketball teams from Park Hill and Oak Park met back in December, it was the Oak Park Oakies who controlled the game to emerge with a 20-point victory at Park Hill.
In the rematch on Feb. 13, Park Hill flipped the script. They never trailed as they ran out with a 71-59 road win, extending their season-high winning streak to four games.
Park Hill sophomore Audrey Sims takes advantage of a pick set by Nikyah Chappell in a win at Oak Park.
“We took a lot of pride in this win,” Park Hill sophomore Audrey Sims said. “They came and handled us on our court, so we wanted out getback for sure, and we definitely got it.”
It was a significant change from their previous meeting against Oak Park, when Park Hill lost 52-32 on home court. This time around, it was all about the Trojans’ offensive improvements.
“We played hard,” Park Hill head coach Xavielle Brown said. “We talked about getting the ball inside out. When we get the ball inside, the defense collapses and we can kick it out to our shooter.”
Brown praised his team’s growth over the last couple of months, particularly their ability not to force things on offense. His team is at its best when it is patient, relaxed and confident with the ball.
“We told the girls that now is the time that we want to be playing the right way,” Brown said. “At the tail end of the season in conference play, teams know what we do and we know what they do. It’s about executing things when they do know the game plan. They executed the game plan in the first quarter, they executed in the second quarter, executed in the third quarter and executed in the fourth quarter. A total team effort.”
Sims got the Trojans off to a hot start, hitting a pair of buckets early for the Trojans. Jade Tucker helped with a six-point swing to put the Trojans ahead 11-7 before Ja’Kyla Wright announced her presence in the paint, scoring 8 points to make it 24-18 at the end of the first.
The Trojans’ offense continued to produce in big numbers as Wright continued to dominate before triples from seniors Katherine McClaflin and Nyadit Akoi helped put the Trojans ahead 40-27. Oak Park did just enough to hang around, hitting a buzzer-beater to end the half and cut the deficit down to 42-32.
Ja’Kyla Wright had another big performance for the Trojans, averaging double figures as a freshman.
The Oakies cut more into their deficit in the third period by starting the second half with a 3-pointer. Buckets from Wright and Sims followed, which prompted an Oak Park timeout with them on the ropes of letting the game get away from them once again.
“Ja’Kyla (Wright) was a really big piece in our offense and our defense and just the team dynamic,” Sims said of Wright. “She’s obviously only a freshman, so she’ll just get better and better. She’s a big piece to what we do, and a lot of stuff goes through her.”
Park Hill continued to dominate spells in the third quarter, but it still wasn’t quite enough to truly feel comfortable going into the fourth with a 55-45 lead. Oak Park finally attacked with a comeback effort in the fourth, using a 10-0 run to cut the deficit down to one score.
Needing an answer, the Trojans had it as Wright ended Oak Park’s run before Sims came up clutch from the free-throw line, knocking down 6 of 6 from the charity stripe to close out the victory.
“We have people who are willing and ready to step up when the moment calls,” Brown said. “When the moment called, people stepped up tonight.”
Next up for Park Hill are a couple more big conference clashes as they finish the regular season on the road. After visiting North Kansas City on Feb. 16, the Trojans will pay a visit to Park Hill South on Feb. 20, with potentially an opportunity to end their district rival’s conference winning streak.
“After our four-game winning streak, we’re building and gaining more confidence,” Sims said. “Using that and having good practices, good energy can help us build on that and have a great next week.”