The 810 Varsity Showcase series notched its 40th event under the belt on Saturday, and proved to be as good as any of its predecessors over the last decade.

810 Varsity Showcase 40, which consisted of two postponed games from the winter storm on January 4, merely resulted in both games reaching 53-53 at the end of regulation and two overtime thrillers.

In the end, the event held at Blue Valley Northwest saw both Blue Valley schools walking off as victors.

No. 8 Blue Valley North 61, No. 6 Staley 60

CJ Duson’s late-game heroics helped left Blue Valley North to an overtime win over Staley, No. 6 in the 810 Varsity Top 25.

No. 8 Blue Valley North (12-3) built a 59-55 lead with 1:07 left in overtime after two Duson free throws. But Falcon sophomore Jackson Smith drained a three-pointer in the left corner for a 59-58 deficit.

Mustang sophomore Will Davis, who notched 19 points in the contest, found fellow post Trey Weixeldorfer on the right block for a lay-in and a 61-58 lead with :44 remaining. However, two Trey Moore free throws pulled Staley to 61-60 with :32 left.

A Mustang miss inside gave Staley a chance, but a Davis blocked an Avian Webb driving shot in the lane. However, two missed North free throws led to a final opportunity by Staley, but a Webb three-pointer again was partially blocked by the 6-foot-8 Davis to seal the win.

"We've had a lot of really close games recently and won at the buzzer a few weeks back, so our guys have been practicing and locking in on time and score situations," evaluated Mustangs head coach Ryan Phifer. "The guys really believe if we're up or down 10, it could come down to any possession... Its fun to watch a young team grow as they have this year."

Moore gave Staley a 53-50 lead on two free throws with 1:04 left in regulation. But Duson drained a guarded 21-footer from the right wing to knot the score at 53-53 with :41 left. Duson finished with a game-high 20 points, including five three-pointers - none bigger than the game-tying bomb in regulation.

"I had a big on me, and if I drive, he might get a block on me. He was sagging off a bit, so I shot it and it win in. I thought ‘We gotta get a stop and force overtime' and it felt good," Duson recounted.

Staley (14-5) had a chance to win in regulation, but an Avian Webb 22-footer from the top of the key caromed off the back iron as time expired.

Webb finished with 18 points, while Moore added 17.

Scoring

Staley: Webb 18, Moore 17, Wilson 10, Stone 8, Smith 7
BV North: Duson 20, Davis 19, Pierceall 7, Wiexeldofer 6, Sand 2, Yount 2

No. 18 Blue Valley Northwest 61, No. 3 Rockhurst 59

Blue Valley Northwest made its statement on Saturday night for moving back up the area rankings.

The Huskies (11-4), had dropped two of its last three games entering their 18th game over the years in the 810 Varsity events. But the win over the Hawklets (16-4), making their 810 Varsity Showcase debut, helps Northwest into the remainder of the Eastern Kansas League play.

"I told (810 Varsity's) Chad (Rader) he's got to get those ratings up so we're trying to do everything we can for him," quipped Huskies head coach Aaron Ihm. "Honestly, this is our fifth non-conference game in a row, and told the guys maybe I had overscheduled us. But this was another great team and great size and great shooters, but our dudes just get after it."

At the end of a back-and-forth regulation, Rockhurst senior Callen Eskew sunk two free throws for a 53-51 lead with :43 left. After just seven free throws were attempted in the first half, 41 charity tosses were attempted after intermission.

Then Northwest's Lincoln Elliott picked a good time for his only bucket of the game. Senior Keaton Humphrey drove baseline, then kicked behind to a rotating Elliott in the corner by the Huskies bench. The sophomore coolly drained the three-point attempt to tie the game at 53-53 with :30 remaining. Both teams missed attempts in the final five seconds to result in overtime.

Both teams had chances in the final seconds of overtime, as the Huskies held a 60-59 lead with :09 left, but missed two free throws to leave the door open. However, Rockhurst missed a three in the right corner, to lead to two Baron Marshall free throws with 0.6 ticks left. The freshman made the first, but missed the second and the horn sounded.

Humphrey led the Huskies with 17 points, while Ayden McGibboney added 10.

"These games have shaped us going into the EKL games," Humphrey said of the recent non-conference contests. "We have tough games ahead and see what we're made of going into substate."

Eskew paced Rockhurst with 20 points, while Kemper Roberts added 13.

Scoring

Rockhurst: Eskew 20, Roberts 13, Robinson 8, Moylan 8, Sullivan 8, Curtis 2
BV Northwest: Humphrey 17, McGibboney 10, Moser 8, Chapman 8, Garlington 7, Elliott 3, Fritz 2