The final game of the season for the Park Hills Central Varsity Basketball team took place last Tuesday, March 8th. What the Rebels were planning on being just another step towards a MO State Championship turned out to be an abrupt end to their season, as New Madrid County defeated Park Hills to advance in the tournament. With the loss, the Rebels’ fiery twenty-win season was blown out by the powerful wings of the Eagles.
It was a tight race the entire distance between these two evenly matched opponents. In fact, the teams were tied at 13 after the first quarter, and Park Hills was only down by two, 26-24, at halftime. However, in the third quarter, the Rebels’ offense couldn’t keep pace as they only put up nine points, while New Madrid hammered out 21. With only one quarter to play, Park Hills rallied for 20 down the stretch, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap, and the Eagles beat the Rebels 64-53.
The spark that earned Park Hills the 2021-2022 Class 4 District 2 Championship didn’t ignite the flame seen in previous games. Nonetheless, Sophomore scoring sensation Jobe Bryant did the lion’s share of the work, as he’d done all season, powering up for 24 points. Kendall Horton provided another 13 points, but the duo’s effort couldn’t do enough damage to clip the wings of their foes. The Rebels have now failed to beat the Eagles over the past two decades, as they have become a bit of a historical bugaboo for Central.
Regardless of the final outcome, this was still a remarkable and memorable season for Park Hills. The District Championship they won only a week ago was their third in a row, and eighth in the last ten years. The team was also undefeated in league play, earning them an impressive 20-6 record. As only a tenth grader, Bryant eclipsed over 1000 total career points, leading to winning the District Player of the Year award. Not only that, Head Coach Brad Gross was named District Coach of the Year.
It certainly wasn’t the way the team wanted it all to end, but unfortunately, it can only end well for one team. However, there’s good news for the Rebels, as only one Senior will leave this powerhouse squad. While Grant Manion‘s presence and leadership will be missed, this is a young team with much more fire burning inside.
Look for the Rebels to be a force once again next season.
