The Park Hill boys basketball team’s season came to an end Friday night, March 7, with a 79-52 loss to top-ranked Oak Park in the Class 6 District 8 semifinal at Oak Park High School.
The Trojans, who finished the season with a 19-9 record — their most wins since the 2016-17 season — fought hard but couldn't overcome a dominant second quarter by Oak Park.
Park Hill started strong, trailing by just one point, 17-16, at the end of the first quarter. However, Oak Park’s Caleb Estes, a reigning all-state selection, took over in the second quarter. Estes scored 13 points in the quarter, including three 3-pointers, as the Northmen outscored the Trojans 30-9 to build an insurmountable halftime lead.
Despite slowing the pace in the second half, Park Hill was unable to recover from the second-quarter onslaught as they suffered their season-ending defeat.
The Trojans reached the semifinal after a dramatic 60-50 quarterfinal victory at Park Hill over Liberty on Tuesday, March 5. It was the third consecutive year Park Hill faced Liberty in the district opener.
With assistant coach Chad Wright filling in as head coach, the Trojans got off to a shaky start, falling behind 11-3 early. The Trojans managed to get back within a one-possession game before the end of the first.
Liberty reasserted its dominance with a 10-0 run to open the second quarter, forcing Wright to take a timeout as they trailed 24-11. That timeout proved to be a turning point as Park Hill responded with an 18-5 run to tie the game at 29-29 by halftime, concluding with midcourt
pressure at the end of the half that allowed sophomore guard Max Tisdel to force a turnover and transform the Liberty turnover into a game-tying layup for Park Hill.
Liberty went back on the front foot in the third period, but Park Hill stayed within single digits. In the fourth, senior forward Leo Gayman lifted Park Hill on his back and carried them across the finish line.
After trailing for nearly the entire game, the Trojans quickly hit three 3-pointers to come within a point of tying it in the opening moments of the fourth. After falling behind 48-46, Gayman drew a charge before hitting his third triple of the quarter to give Park Hill its first lead of the game at 49-48 with 4:35 remaining.
Gayman continued his clutch performance down the final stretch, securing his 15 double-double of the season as he blocked his fourth shot and went 6 of 7 from the free-throw line to seal the win, ending the night with 14 rebounds and a season-high 34 points.
Despite the district semifinal exit two nights later, Park Hill's 19 wins marked a high point for the program as the most wins since their 2017 district champion season.