Platte County’s 2nd-half surge shocks Winnetonka

Winnetonka’s final 3-point attempt splashed home but could no longer affect the outcome.

Platte County did more than enough work to overcome a daunting deficit and hold on for a 57-55 victory in Monday’s Class 5 District 8 first round matchup at Pirate Fieldhouse. The Pirates were down as much as 16 near the midway point of the third quarter but rallied back behind senior guards Addie Ayers and Rylee Carr, who combined for 45 points.

Ayers gave fourth-seeded Platte County the lead for good with just over 2 minutes remaining in regulation with a banked in 3-pointer from the right side in what became a special performance to keep the season and her career alive.

“I got lucky, honestly,” said Ayers, who set a career-high with 24 points on 6-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc. “They were not the prettiest shots, but I think there gets a point where you just start making everything … and I kind of felt like any shot I took was going to be a make.”

Forced to foul in the final minute, Winnetonka trailed 57-52 after Platte County sophomore guard Millie Parker hit two late free throws. The Griffins hit a ninth 3-pointer in the final seconds but couldn’t stop the clock, having already used their final timeout while trying to quell shifting momentum.

Ayers scored 21 points after halftime, picking up where Carr left off with 13 in the first half to help Platte County stay just close enough to make a run after Winnetonka’s lead hit 42-26 midway through the third quarter.

“I think I just realized this is it; there’s nothing after this,” Ayers said. “I didn’t try to make shots, but I tried to shoot when I was open and just kind of play free instead of play scared because I didn’t want my last game to go out playing scared and inside myself, if that makes sense. I wanted to at least go out playing as good as know I could play.”

Platte County (13-12) guaranteed a record that can be no worse than .500 in head coach Eric Mitchell’s final season after he led the Pirates to a winning record in his first three. Now, the focus turns to gaining a berth in the Class 5 District 8 championship game for the third time in four years.

Top-seeded Kearney (17-10) hosts Wednesday’s semifinal in the first meeting between the former conference rivals this season.

Winnetonka seemed in prime position to play spoiler after a quick start to Monday’s district opener. The fifth-seeded Griffins played with pace, hit three 3-pointers and put up 19 points in the first quarter.

Platte County trailed 19-12 at that point, and neither team scored for the first 2-minutes-plus of th second quarter. Ayers’ only basket of the first half — the first of her six 3s — briefly trimmed the gap to 26-21, but Winnetonka answered with a 3 and went into the break up 31-21.

“We knew they could score at times. We thought we’d be able to string together stops a little more consistently than we did — especially early,” Mitchell said. “Give them some credit. They hit some shots. They took some shots and hit some good shots and kept us at bay for quite a while.”

Winnetonka (8-18) seemed to have all the answers but eventually could not match Ayers’ production. She hit another 3-pointer early in the third quarter to close the gap to 33-26, only for the Griffins to respond with a 3 and then a three-point play to push the advantage back to double digits.

That started a run of nine unanswered points that gave Winnetonka the largest lead of the game and put Platte County’s season on the brink of a disastrous conclusion.

“I was aware we were down so much, but I was trying to block it out most I could,” Ayers said. “Sixteen points, it is a lot, but there’s still so much time left. You can’t count us out. We did a good job of not giving up.”

“We needed to start playing for each other and not scared.”

After trailing 42-26, Platte County followed the lead of Ayers and Carr — the only two players on the roster with significant experience at the varsity level prior to this season.

Ayers’ next 3-pointer pulled Platte County within eight, and Parker knocked down two free throws to pull the Pirates within 44-38. She then blocked a shot at the other end to give the offense one final possession on offense, but her 3-point try ended up off target.

Then came the unlikely made shots.

Ayers rattled in a 3-pointer that hit both sides of the rim, popped off the back iron and slipped through the net with 4:54 left in regulation. Platte County then forced a turnover on a double dribble with the deficit down to one possession and prompting a timeout from Winnetonka.

Carr scored out of the timeout, and Platte County then held possession with a chance to take the lead while down 46-45.

Platte County freshman point guard Clare Stephens, who finished with a team-high three steals, missed a 3-pointer, and the comeback seemed to end there. Winnetonka scored on two straight possessions to push the lead back to five with just over three minutes on the clock in the fourth quarter.

Instead, Platte County came up with one more charge. Madeline Arthurs, a sophomore forward, converted a three-point play, and Ayers’ final banked-in 3 changed the entire trajectory. The final blow for Winnetonka came when Carr hustled down an offensive rebound when Ayers missed a free throw in the final minute to allow here a chance to go back to the stripe.

“Late in the game, we realized how much was on the line,” Ayers said. “Rylee, that was a great play. That won us the game, probably.”

Ayers went 2-for-4 on the trip to put Platte County up 55-52, and Parker’s final contribution put the game out of reach. She finished with eight points and nine rebounds in a strong complementary performance.

Only five players scored for Platte County with Arthurs contributing three plus five rebounds, while junior forward Macy Doll split a pair of free throws during the second quarter for her lone point. However, Ayers and Carr, who scored in double figures for the 15th straight game and went for 20 or more for the sixth time in that span, were the driving forces in propelling the Pirates back from the brink.

“Our two seniors, they’ve been in some good games. We’ve played in some big games,” Mitchell said. “A lot of our other girls have not played in a scenario where if you lose your season’s over so they have to learn what it’s like to feel that pressure and play with that pressure, while Addie and Rylee have kind of been through those battles. I saw them late take the game over. The other girls made some nice plays, as well, to help that, but that was just a great team effort there at the end.”

Platte County continues to seek the first playoff appearance for the program since 2010, having lost in the district title game to Lincoln Prep in 2023 and St. Teresa’s Academy last year. The only time the Pirates didn’t advance past the semifinals in Mitchell’s tenure came in a 21-win season that ended with an upset loss as the No. 1 seed to Kearney at Kearney High School.