Very little of Park Hill girls basketball was recognizable from previous years in last week’s season-opener. The gym. The coach. Even some of the players.
Despite the new look for the Trojans, Park Hill led nearly the entire night as they defeated Smithville 44-31 to open a new era inside the Trojan Coliseum at Park Hill High School on Nov. 24. It was a victory that meant a lot to the team.
“We talked about this facility being something special,” said Xavielle Brown, Park Hill’s new head girls basketball coach. “We wanted to come out and set the tone. We didn’t want to be the first basketball program to lose in the new facility.”
Audrey Sims takes in traffic with contact in Park Hill’s season-opening win against Smithville on Nov. 24.
One of the few familiar faces on the varsity team was Audrey Sims, who provided some fire and comfort by hitting a 3-pointer to open the game after the Trojans won the tip. She went on to score a couple more buckets, giving Park Hill a 7-0 cushion in the opening three minutes of their season, and the sophomore guard wound up with a 9-point first quarter.
Smithville eventually responded. With the Trojans getting into some first-quarter foul trouble, the Warriors took advantage by going 6 of 9 at the free-throw line as Park Hill’s 8-point lead was cut in half, leading 16-12 after the first quarter.
Among the new faces to Park Hill’s varsity squad was another sophomore, Nikyah Chappell, who announced her arrival off the bench in big moments throughout the season-opening victory. Chappell’s first score came early in the second quarter when she gathered an offensive rebound before making it 18-12.
The Warriors came fighting back, using a 6-0 run to tie the game at 18-18 before senior guard Lauren Stevens quickly worked the ball upcourt to find Chappell for a quick drive and a left-handed finish. After holding a 22-20 lead midway through the quarter, both defenses limited opportunities, and neither team scored the rest of the half.
Park Hill gained a firmer grip on proceedings in the second half, but only after a strong start to the half from Smithville. The Warriors took their first lead of the night when Katelyn Crimm knocked down a triple in front of her bench to make it 25-24 Smithville.
Remaining composed, sophomore guard Jade Tucker drove to the basket and regained momentum for Park Hill by converting an old-fashioned three-point play midway through the third period. From then on, the Trojans only further distanced themselves, taking a 34-27 lead going into the final frame.
While the Warriors got back within five points, Park Hill capitalized on some fourth-quarter turnovers to extend their lead into double-digits. The Trojans ended the game on an 8-0 run to take the victory by a final score of 44-31.
Xavielle Brown got his first win as Park Hill head coach, opening up a new era with some in-game adjustments.
Brown liked his team’s hustle and ability to get points in transition. After struggling on the boards in the first half, the Trojans found a fix in the second half to keep Smithville from getting second chances.
“We weren’t rebounding very well in the first half,” Brown said. “In the second half, we made a slight adjustment to get rebounds, to limit them to one shot and no second-chance points, and we got stops when we needed to get stops.”
Sims was the lone Trojan to finish in double-digit points, picking up where she left off last season. Chappell was key for Park Hill off the bench, scoring 8 points in the middle two quarters with a pair of blocks.
After a hard preseason and quick first game, Park Hill will have some time to recuperate. They return to Trojan Coliseum on Dec. 11 for a matchup against Grandview.
“Don’t always want it that way, but this will give us time to work on some of the things that we need to work on and really rest,” Brown said. “We’ve been going hard at practice, so we’ll get some rest and work on things we need to work on so we’ll be fresh and ready to go for the next one.”