By JUSTIN BURKHARDT
TopSports.news
Highland Park battled Class 4A No. 2 ranked and undefeated Atchison Friday at Hi Park in a game that had Meadowlark Conference ramifications early in the season as both of these teams are usually facing each other with the league championship on the line.
Junior JoJo Kingcannon led Highland Park with 18 points in the Scots' 57-51 loss to No. 2-ranked Atchison Friday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Scots had never lost to the Phoenix since entering the league and you didn’t need to let first-year head coach Nate Wallace know how big this game was.
And even though Atchison was able to hold off Highland Park 57-51, Wallace saw a lot of positives from his team.
Atchison would get things started with freshman Trey’von Gillum scoring the game's first five points before Scot sophomore Davion Anderson would get his squad on the board with a jumper to get the score to 5-2.
Atchison would score four more to go up 9-2 and then the Scots would go on a 11-0 run by spreading the ball around and getting everybody involved to see their first lead of the night at 13-9.
The second quarter would see three lead changes, with the Scots trailing 28-24at halftime.
“Oh, we're in great shape,'' Wallace said. "I knew that we'd eventually start making shots. We shoot a lot in practice, so I'm not really worried about shooting. I know that we're going to do that. At halftime, it was just, 'Hey, look where we're at.' That's probably the lowest score in a half we've had all season because we hung our hat on everybody rebounding. We had five guys rebounding. We were going to stay on that focus and let them know it's a game of runs they came out and punched us in the mouth, 9-0, 9-2.
"We knew that would happen. So we've just got to answer the run. So they make runs, we make runs.”
Junior G'Honi Montgomery reacts to one of his two 3-pointers in Friday's 57-51 loss to Atchison. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN].
Gillum would get things started in the third quarter with a 3 ball, Atchison would go on a 6-2 run to put the game at 34-26 before Scots junior G’Honi Montgomery would hit two huge 3-pointers in a row to get the Scots within two at 34-32 and then Anderson would hit his only 3-pointer of the night to give his team the lead at 35-34.
Each team would trade blows to escape the third quarter with Highland Park trailing the Phoenix 40-37 going into the fourth quarter.
“I'm never surprised with G’Honi,'' Montgomery said. "He is one of our most unselfish guys on the team. He's playing out of position. He really is a guard, but he is so strong. I call him little man. He's out there doing everything he can. So I give him those (3s). If he takes them, it's because he knows when to take them, he knows how to take them. He works on them.”
The fourth quarter would see the Scots' fearless leader, junior JoJo Kingcannon go on a tear as he would score 12 of his team-high 18 points in the fourth quarter.
“JoJo's special,'' Wallace said. "He's a leader of our team. He takes it on the shoulders. He takes hard criticism coaching. I don't worry about JoJo. JoJo's gonna do what he does. He's going to make plays. He's going to force, but I've encouraged him to do that. Go get yours sometimes because it's gonna make it easier for the other guys. I feel like JoJo's earned that right for two years in a row.
"For two years, he was one of our main defenders. And now, he's getting an opportunity to showcase the city what he can do. He's one of the best players in city.”
But despite a valiant effort the Scots would end up falling to the Phoenix by six points as Atchison improved to 9-0.
The Scots will have a busy week coming up, with games against KC-Harmon, KC-Sumner and Shawnee Heights.
ATCHISON 57, HIGHLAND PARK 51
Atchison 9 19 12 17 -- 57
Highland Park 8 16 13 14 -- 51
Atchison (9-0 4-0) -- Purdy 6-10 2-6, Gillum 5-12 0-0 12, Williams 2-6 2-2, Mays 0-4 4-5, Jeremiah Thompson 1-6 0-0 2, Josiah Thompson 3-5 3-4 10, Kelley 3-3 0-2 6, Boldridge 1-1 0-0 2, Totals 21-47 16-19 57.
Highland Park (2-5 2-1) -- Kingcannon 7-19 4-6 18, Anderson 3-10 0-0 7, Montgomery 2-5 0-0 6, Drew 1-5 2-3 5, Mitchell 1-1 2-2 4, Zonte McMillon 2-2 2-8 7, Lajic McMillon 1-2 0-0 2, Nance 1-2 0-0 2, Totals 18-46 10-19 51.
3-point goals -- Atchison 4 (Gillum 2, Williams, Josiah Thompson), Highland Park 5 (Montgomery 2, Anderson, Drew, Zonte McMillon). Total Fouls -- Atchison 21, Highland Park 19. Fouled out-- Gillum.
