By Rick Peterson
TopSports.news
EMPORIA -- The 2023-2024 season didn't end the way Highland Park wanted it to, but after a tough three-point overtime semifinal loss, it ended the best way it could.
Highland Park junior Ja'Corey Robinson had 19 points and 10 rebounds as the Scots capped a 23-2 season with a 66-55 win over Maize South in the Class 5A third-place game. [Photo by Mac Moore/KSHSAA Covered]
Highland Park junior Ja'Corey Robinson is congratulated by his teammates after a big play late in Saturday's 66-55 win over Maize South. [Photo by Mac Moore/KSHSAA Covered]
Highland Park trailed Maize South for much of Saturday's third-place game, including an eight-point deficit late in the third quarter and a seven-point deficit with about six and a half minutes left, but the Scots stepped up their game a few notches when it counted the most, ending the game with a 20-4 run to take a 66-55 win over the top-seeded Mavericks at White Auditorium.
"We finished great,'' Highland Park coach Mike Williams said. "Maize South has eight seniors and a winning pedigree, so we knew those kids weren't going to come in here and not take the game seriously and we knew that we also had to match that level.
"We kind of fell short of that a little bit early on but the heart, grit, toughness and determination of our guys showed through over the course of the game.''
Highland Park, which finished its season 23-2, bounced back from a 67-64 overtime loss to Kapaun Mt. Carmel in the semis while Maize ended its season with back-to-back losses after reeling off 23 straight wins.
"I felt like it was just ours,'' Scot senior Amari Taylor said of the third-place game. "We needed to get it and we just needed to show everybody that we were supposed to be where we weren't and that's the state championship, so at least being up there and being able to take something home with us is a really good feeling for all of us.''
Highland Park coach Mike Williams talks to his team during a time out in Saturday's 66-55 win over Maize South in the Class 5A third-place game. [Photo by Mac Moore/KSHSAA Covered]
Mike Williams agreed.
"You don't want to leave a sour taste in your mouth for six, seven, eight months,'' Williams said. "And the coach that I am, I'm going to be thinking about it every day. I'm still going to think about last night's game every day, but today's game leaves a better taste in our mouths and a better feel that we can send our seniors off in the right way and our guys returning can feel good about it when we come back next year.''
The Scots rallied from an early 8-2 deficit to take a 17-15 lead at the end of the first quarter on a 3-pointer from senior Bryson Thrasher, but the Mavericks scored the final five points of the half to take a 32-28 lead at the break.
Highland Park trailed throughout the third quarter (45-38 at the end of the period) and was still down by five (51-46) midway through the final stanza before dominating the game the rest of the way, with the 11-point final score by far its biggest lead of the game.
Scots junior star Ja'Corey Robinson had just two points and two rebounds in the first half but turned in a huge second half to finish with 19 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 3 blocked shots. Saturday was Robinson's third double-double in the Scots' three state tournament games.
Senior Tamir Anderson added 14 points for Highland Park with four 3-pointers while Taylor had 13 points.
Jeron Askren led the Mavericks with a game-high 20 points, including a 6 of 8 performance from 3-point range, while senior Sammy Dresie added 14 points and senior Michael Kates 11.
HIGHLAND PARK BOYS 66, MAIZE SOUTH 55
Highland Park 17 11 10 28 -- 66
Maize South 15 17 13 10 -- 55
Highland Park (23-2) -- Taylor 6-11 1-2 13, Wilson 3-5 3-4 9, Williams 2-7 1-2 6, Robinson 7-14 4-5 19, Anderson 4-10 2-2 14, Thrasher 1-4 0-0 3, Bradley 0-0 0-0 0, Cameron 1-1 0-0 2, Montgomery 0-0 0-0 0-0, Kingcannon 0-0 0-0 0, Kelley 0-0 0-0 0, Thomas 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 24-52 11-15 66.
Maize South (23-2) -- Felton 2-4 0-0 4, Kates 1-9 8-9 11, Dresie 6-10 1-2 14, Askren 6-10 2-6 20, Stucky 3-7 0-0 6, Kemp 0-4 0-0 0, Rapp 0-1 0-0 0, Lowe 0-0 0-0 0, Scott 0-0 0-0 0, Pauly 0-0 0-0 0, Bough 0-1 0-0 0, Monk 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 18-46 11-17 55.
3-point shots -- Highland Park 7-21 (Anderson 4-10, Williams 1-3, Thrasher 1-3, Robinson 1-2, Taylor 0-3), Maize South 8-24 (Askren 6-8, Kates 1-8, Dresie 1-4, Felton 0-1, Kemp 0-2, Rapp 0-1). Total fouls -- Highland Park 15, Maize South 16. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- Highland Park bench, Wilson.
