Carr, Ayers put up 20 points apiece in dominant showing against overmatched Ruskin

Rylee Carr came out with likely unnecessary but brutally influential urgency.

Coming off the bench due to a technical foul from the previous game, Platte County’s leading scorer dominated a prolonged stretch of what became a 62-12 blowout victory against Ruskin on Thursday night at Pirate Fieldhouse. She scored 18 points during the Pirates’ 31-0 run in the first half to quickly erase any concerns from two very early deficits.

Carr and fellow senior guard Addie Ayers — the only two returning starters from last season — finished with 20 points apiece to lead the onslaught. Ayers set a new career-high, while Carr matches a season-high set twice before despite barely playing in the second half and sitting the first 3 minutes of the first quarter.

“I was just coming out, trying my best, trying not to let (coming off the bench) get to my head,” said Carr, who has put up double figures for points in each of the past eight games since going scoreless in a loss to Grain Valley.

Ruskin sophomore forward Jayla Pittman hit her first two shots from the floor to give the Eagles leads of 3-0 and 5-3. They totaled just seven more points in the final 30 minutes overall.

Platte County allowed just 14 points to Ruskin in the first Suburban Conference White Division matchup between the two teams this season. The Pirates won that one 44-14.

“I think we definitely needed to lock in (after the early baskets),” Carr said.

Ayers answered each of Pittman’s first two shots.

The first of four 3-pointers for Ayers created the first of two ties. Her short jumper then started what became 31 unanswered points for Platte County with Carr contributing 10 in the first quarter along. The Pirates led 34-5 at that point and then went into halftime with a 40-7 advantage.

Platte County went on to set a season-high for points, shooting 41.5% from the floor overall and 9 of 22 on 3-point tries. The Pirates committed 12 turnovers but collected 17 steals, including a game-high four for freshman guard Emma Schank and three each for Ayers, freshman point guard Clare Stephens and sophomore forward Madeline Arthurs.

“We didn’t sink down to their level,” Carr said.

Ayers hit two more 3-pointers early in the third quarter, and with the lead quickly becoming overwhelmingly insurmountable, Platte County went to the bench for much of the remainder. This marked a win where the top two scorers did the majority of the damage for the Pirates, who have found additional balance throughout the course of a rebuilding season.

Carr and Ayers were not only the lone returning starters but also the only two players with significant varsity experience from a stretch of three straight winning seasons.

Platte County has now won five of the past eight — two straight — and improved to 6-2 in White Division play with junior forward Macy Doll and sophomore guard Millie Parker both solidifying starting roles during the successful run. Both went scoreless Thursday against Ruskin, although Doll grabbed a game-high seven rebounds, while sophomore reserve Rose Forbes put up a career-high 8 points with a pair of 3s, and Stephens chipped in five points while continuing to develop as one of the main ball handlers alongside Ayers.

“I just think getting into practice and playing hard at practice will translate during games,” Carr said. “We have a good rhythm when we run the plays right, but tonight, I think we executed well and had good shots.”

Seeing increased minutes in the second half, Schank scored four for Platte County — all after halftime — while Arthurs and reserve freshman forward Eva Bane both hit shots in the fourth quarter. The Pirates take momentum into the final part of a closing stretch that includes nine straight conference games.

Platte County plays at Grain Valley (16-3) and Truman (8-10) this week with the only home games left in the regular season against Belton (February 17) and Fort Osage (February 26). The Pirates continue to build a case for strong seeding in the upcoming Class 5 District 8 tournament with Kearney (10-9) and Lincoln Prep (11-8) the only teams currently with winning records.

“We’re all pretty young; it’s a pretty young team, but I think there’s some good talent,” Carr said.

Platte County 54, Belton 42

Carr (17), Ayers (12) and Parker (10) all scored in double figures and tied for the team lead with Forbes at four rebounds apiece during a road victory at Belton on Wednesday night.

Carr went 9-for-10 on free throws to account for the majority of her scoring while adding four assists and three steals, and Ayers hit four more 3-pointers to go with three assists and two steals for Platte County, which overcame 20 turnovers. Stephens tied a career-high with nine points and matched Carr’s three steals, as did Doll (four points).

Ayers hit two 3-pointers in the first quarter to help Platte County overcome a slow start then knocked down two more in the third quarter.

Carr eventually fouled out, and Belton’s charge back from a 26-11 halftime deficit came up short. Parker scored five in the fourth quarter, including her lone 3 and one of five overall for Platte County.

Fort Osage 50, Platte County 45

The Pirates suffered just their second conference loss of the season Tuesday in Independence.

Fort Osage built a lead early behind the high-scoring duo of Ragan Filmore and McKenna Simons, who combined for 37 points with seven total 3-pointers. The Indians led 22-16 at halftime with Carr limited to just one made field goal and no free throw attempts in the first half.

Carr finished at 15 points, while Parker added 13 and Ayers 12 with Platte County committing 14 turnovers and shooting just 28% from the floor. The Pirates countered with a 12-for-15 showing on free throws.

Ayers accounted for three of Platte County’s five 3-pointers, which accounted for more than a third of 14 total made field goals. Doll (four points) and Arthurs (one point) notched game-highs of 11 rebounds each with half of the 22 total coming on the offensive end.