NKC Knocks Off No. 1 Staley, 62-55

Just a few weeks ago, North Kansas City had a shot at taking down Kansas City’s No. 1 team and district rival Staley, but fell short.

This time at home, the Hornets didn’t let the chance slip away.

North Kansas City (15-5) knocked off the No. 1 team in the 810 Varsity Top 25, 62-55, in overtime on Tuesday night at Northtown. Just two weeks ago on January 25, the Falcons held off NKC, 59-56, at Staley.

The script was flipped from the prior contest, as the Falcons held a 29-25 lead at the break, and gradually lost it down the stretch. Despite seven fourth-quarter lead changes, the game found itself nodded at 47-47 with :32.5 left. After North Kansas City was called for an offensive interference on its last-second attempt, it was the Falcons who looked for the last shot.

In the final seconds Kyan Evans weaved through the Hornet defense and forced a switch onto Dallas Whitney. The junior star guard pulled it back out, lined up a step back jumper from deep. Whitney stayed with him, and was able to get a hand on the shot, deterring any chance at a regulation end.

Onto overtime, and after winning the tip, the Hornets orchestrated an offense to the tune of 15 points in just four minutes, most of which came at the line. Despite an 0-for-4 start, junior guard Alex Gunnels stepped up to sink 6 of his final 6 from the stripe, effectively shutting the door. The Hornet unit, shooting just 59 percent from the line, converted 9 of 10 of their looks in overtime.

Staley (19-3) didn’t go lightly, as Evans used the Hornet press against them, drawing two fouls in overtime in the backcourt, converting four free throws and keeping the Falcons hope alive. However, with :11.4 left and trailing 60-55, Evans was unable to draw a foul on a contested look from behind the arc, the ball bounced out of bounds, and upon a successful inbound, the final was sealed.

Freshman guard Avian Webb made the difference in the second half for the Hornets, finishing with a career-high 33 points, including an array of difficult runners and floaters. Webb sealed the deal with the final two free throws at the end.

“I wanted to get them going,” Webb said of his performance. “Once we did that, we knew we could win.”

Evans would finish with 22 in the loss, and junior forwards Kayden Fish and Larry Porter would add 17 collectively in aid to the cause.

In the first half, the Hornets did just enough to pull even with the Falcons, falling behind by as much as eight, before a late run pushed the deficit to just 29-25 going into halftime. Webb scored 11 of his 33 in the first frame, leading the Hornets back into the battle in the second half.

The Falcons move on to play fellow conference rival Park Hill South (14-8) on Friday, while the Hornets face Schlagle Wednesday night, and rematch Oak Park (14-7) Friday night.