The 44th annual William Jewell Holiday Classic tipped on Wednesday morning, with three eight-team divisions of Missouri high school boys teams. Action continues through the weekend, with third-place and title games wrapping on Saturday.

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NELSON DIVISION

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Staley 80, Van Horn 50 

Staley started its quest for five straight William Jewell Classic titles on the right foot.  

The Falcons laid out Van Horn, 80-50, to start off the 44th annual boys high school basketball holiday event in the eight-team Nelson Division. KV Stone led the way with a team-high 21 points, while Avian Webb added 18. Staley (5-3) roared out a 27-13 lead after the first period, and dominated inside with 44 points in the paint to Van Horn’s 14. 

Za’Corrie Kerr paced Van Horn with a game-high 24 points, as the Falcons will face Fort Osage in the consolation bracket on Thursday morning. 

Winnetonka 74, Fort Osage 44 

The Griffins continued one of their best starts ever with a notable milestone – advancing to the semifinals of the Jewell Classic.  

Winnetonka boosted its undefeated record to 9-0 with a 74-44 laugher over Fort Osage. Ky Coleman led the Griffins with 19 points and five assists, while Ryan Barnhart’s 17 and Jaylen Craig’s 13 aided Tonka. 

Fort Osage kept within 18-13 after the first period, but the Griffins opened the floodgates with a 37-23 margin by intermission. Winnetonka capitalized on 23 fast break points compared to Fort’s five. 

The Griffins will face top-seeded and fellow North Kansas City district member Staley in the Nelson Division semifinals on Friday at 7:30 pm. 

Rockhurst 71, Belton 37 

Rockhurst coasted to a first-round win, getting nearly everyone in the act. The Hawklets saw 11 players score as the bench racked up a 38-4 disparity against Belton.  

Senior post Andrew Sprague led the way with 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Callen Eskew added nine points and seven boards.

Kordell Williams’ 11 points led the Pirates, who play Park Hill in the consolation bracket on Thursday. 

Blue Springs 51, Park Hill 41 

Blue Springs notched the first upset in the Jewell Classic with a 51-41 win over Park Hill. Lincoln Stephenson paced the Wildcats with 14 points and six rebounds, while Isaiah Hooks added 12 points and six boards.  

The Trojans trailed just 35-34 entering the final period, but sputtered with a 3-of-9 effort from the field, while Blue Springs hit 6-of-8 shots to pull away for the win. 

Cameron Jones led Park Hill with 13 points.  

Blue Springs will face Rockhurst in the Nelson Division semifinals on Friday at 9 pm. 

PATTERSON DIVISION

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Liberty North 50, Park Hill South 44 (OT) 

Park Hill South rallied, but couldn’t finish off its comeback in the first round of the Jewell Classic. 

The Panthers surged back after trailing 38-27 in the fourth quarter and forced overtime, but Liberty North hardly missed in the extra stanza for a 50-44 win. The Eagles connected on both their shots, and hit 5-of-6 from the line to put the game away. 

In a low scoring affair, Liberty North’s Gabe Perry was the only player to break double digits with 13 points.  

Blue Springs South 61, Center 32 

Blue Springs South made sure its locker room talk was enjoyable at halftime. After leading the Yellowjackets 17-10 after the first period, the Jaguars surged with a 22-8 run to lead at intermission, 39-18. 

Blue Springs South enjoyed a 38-8 advantage in the paint against Center. Blayne Marshall helped lead the way inside with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Sully Mohamed added 10 points and seven grabbed caroms.  

Alex Kellum led Center with 11 points, as CHS will take on Park Hill South in the consolation bracket.  

The Jaguars will face Liberty North in the Patterson Division semifinals at 12 on Friday. 

Oak Park 86, Lincoln Prep 45 

The top seeded team in the Jewell Classic and No. 1 team in the 810 Varsity Top 25 showed why it earned its accolades.  

Oak Park coasted to an 86-45 win in the Patterson Division quarterfinals, as Corbin Allen’s 25 points led both teams – and boosted the junior over the 1,000-point career mark. 

The Northmen led from the outset, as Caleb Estes added 15 and Josh Kori chipped in 10 points.  

Aidan Napier (14) and Darrien Brown (13) led Lincoln Prep, which will play in the consolation bracket on Thursday.

Central 77, Lee's Summit 70

The dynamic duo of Tim Wooden Jr and Brandon Moore powered Central to a first-round win in the Patterson Division - and a shot at the No. 1 team in the Metro.

The Eagles beat Lee's Summit, 77-70, in the nightcap of Wednesday's action in the opening day of the Jewell Classic. Moore fired in 28 points, along with five rebounds and four assists, while Wooden Jr. went nuts with 27 points, five boards and four dimes. Darren McHenry added 10 point and snagged eight caroms.

Central built a 42-31 lead at half, but the Tigers hit 10-of-16 shots in the third period to retake the lead at 57-56 entering the final frame. But the Eagles held the lead, then hit 11-of-12 free throws down the stretch - including a perfect 8-for-8 from Moore - to seal the win.

Jaylen Lockhart netted 19 points, while Gatlin Brody added 16 for the Tigers, who will face Lincoln Prep in the consolation bracket. 

Central will take on Oak Park in the semifinals at 1:30 pm on Friday afternoon.