Platte County found stability in the first three seasons under coach Eric Mitchell and now must find a way to rebuild in his finally year at the helm. The Pirates have just two returners with significant experience in the lineup but now with an established expectation for success.
Set to retire at the end of the school year, Mitchell must rely on the scoring ability and aggressiveness of senior guard/forward Rylee Carr and the shot-making of senior Addie Ayers to lead a mostly inexperienced roster.
“We have several players that have been in the program and this will be their opportunity to contribute at the varsity level,” said Mitchell, who has accrued a 56-23 record in his three seasons leading Platte County. “We also have a couple of younger players that should have the opportunity to help out as well. We will have to find our team identity and have some inexperienced players step into roles to help fill the loss of several experienced players from last season.”
Platte County has recorded at least 17 wins in each of the last three seasons, including a 21-5 mark in 2023-24 before a dip back to 17-9 last season. However, the Pirates graduated four starters, including two of the top three scorers and a four-year starting point guard, while three other contributors don’t return to the roster.
Carr averaged a career-best 11.9 points per game as a junior as a full-time starter for the first time and earned second team All-Suburban Conference White Division honors. She added 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. Carr ranked second for Platte County in scoring each of the past two seasons behind Lauren Stone, one of the four standout seniors that played a key role in the recent run of success. Prior to Mitchell taking over, the Pirates had just three winning records in the prior 11 years.
Stone (14.4 points and 2.4 steals per game, 61 3-pointers), center and three-year starter Addy Schlake (9.8 points, team-best 8.9 rebounds per game and point guard Haley Barlow (4.4 points and 2.9 assists per game) were big parts of the success, while Haley Schank (3.0 and 3.1 rebounds per game) became a key part of last season’s rotation.
In addition to Carr, Ayers returns as a third-year contributor for Platte County who also saw limited minutes as a freshman. Her starts have been limited, but she averaged 6.9 points and 2.2 rebounds per game as the top option off the bench as a junior. She also hit 44 3-pointers, which ranks ninth all-time in program history for a single season.
Mitchell must fill in around Ayers and Carr with senior Emily Huehl in her second year at Platte County after transferring from Wakefield (Kansas). She took just 10 shots in limited action as a junior but should have an opportunity to take on a much bigger role along with freshmen Clare Stephens and Emma Schank. Other returners include juniors Macy Doll and Maggie Davis, while sophomores Brooklyn Harris and Millie Parker, who both dealt with injuries last season.
In addition to the seniors, junior Amani Harlin transferred, while senior Malin Cole and sophomore Kinleigh Howren did not go back out. That leaves only four players with varsity minutes — Carr, Ayers, Huehl and Doll.
“We have a lot of younger players that are working hard and making the program stronger,” Mitchell said.
Platte County’s playoff drought dates back to a 2009 run to the Class 4 state title, but Mitchell has taken the Pirates to two Class 5 District 8 title games in three years sandwiched around the 21-win breakout season that ended with a loss in the semifinals as the top seed. They went 18-9 in his first season and reached the championship game of the district bracket for the first time since 2011.
Last year, Platte County went 10-4 in conference play but never won more than five in a row, a year after capturing a share of the White Division title while putting together a 12-game winning streak from the middle of December to the end of January. The Pirates open this season Tuesday at Savannah before playing in the Winnetonka Invitational the following week.
