Jaden Peterson sought out the opportunities and delivered in more ways than one in potentially the final home game of his career.
Platte County senior forward Jaden Peterson dunks against William Chrisman on Tuesday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Platte County pulled away for a 72-45 victory over William Chrisman on Tuesday night at Pirate Fieldhouse with the star forward delivering a career-high 41 points on an ultimately memorable senior night. The Pirates entered on a four-game losing skid and looking for signs of the cohesive unit occasionally providing a glimpse into the team’s postseason potential.
Platte County (10-16) avoided matching the longest losing skid of the season.
“We just needed to find some momentum, any momentum — especially on senior night,” Peterson said. “We need to play good in front of our home crowd, so I’d say it was a good win for us.”
Platte County might have missed a chance to establish momentum going into Class 5 District 8 play after letting another late lead slip away Thursday night against Fort Osage. However, the final win of the regular season avoided what could have been a season-ending tailspin.
William Chrisman (2-23) held a couple of early leads but couldn’t keep pace once Peterson found an extra gear. He scored 20 points in the fourth quarter, helping to nearly put a 30-point running clock into effect multiple times.
Peterson scored 20 in the fourth quarter alone and even talked his way into staying on the floor late to hit the 40-point mark. Platte County senior guard Brett Mueller, who didn’t score, set Peterson up for a wide-open layup in the closing seconds before Pirates coach Rick Hodge took a timeout to pull him from the game. He briefly went and celebrated with a delighted student section before taking a spot on the bench.
Platte County senior guard Anthony Morrison dribbles upcourt against William Chrisman on Tuesday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
“I felt more confident going into this game because I knew I needed to step up for my team,” said Peterson, who hit four 3-pointers. “We had been so close to winning here or there, and I knew that I needed to step into a bigger role and score more. I went out and hunted. Obviously, (I) created more shots for my teammates, too.”
Hodge went the traditional route of starting all seniors with Peterson, Mueller, Hayden Schultz, Anthony Morrison and Cobe Pollard forming an unorthodox opening lineup.
Platte County didn’t receive the desired emotional boost and needed 3s from Peterson and Morrison to erase an early 7-2 deficit. Morrison’s gave the Pirates their first lead, and Peterson added a breakaway one-handed dunk and a banked-in triple to put them up 17-12.
“We came out a little bit timid. Everybody did — even myself included,” Peterson said. “We knew that we needed to bounce back from that, play better defense and get out running.”
Platte County led 21-14 after the first quarter and briefly went up eight early in the second.
Platte County senior forward Hayden Schultz dribbles toward the basket against William Chrisman on Tuesday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
William Chrisman never came closer than five the rest of the way but hung around for all of the first half. The Bears missed two free throws with 1:13 left in the second quarter and went into the break down 33-23.
Both offenses hit a lull in the third quarter, but Platte County junior point guard Jayden Martin scored four of his seven, while Schultz and junior guard Brennan McLaughlin both had baskets to help push the lead to 15 going to the fourth-quarter with Peterson responsible for half of the 44 points at that juncture.
“For us, the main thing is consistency. We’ve just gotta stay consistent throughout the game because we have ups and downs here or there,” he said.
Martin and McLaughlin both hit 3s early in the fourth quarter, and McLaughlin’s essentially buried William Chrisman for good. He put Platte County up 56-31 with just under 6 minutes to go. The Bears answered with a 3 but couldn’t stop Peterson from there.
Platte County went up 64-38 on Peterson’s fourth and final 3, and he added a three-point play moments later after drawing a foul while putting back his own miss with just over 2 minutes left in regulation. The Pirates were up 29 twice, the second time on his final basket before going to the bench.
Schultz and McLaughlin finished with five points apiece for Platte County, while Morrison and junior Braiden Stevens, who have taken turns this season serving as the top complementary scorer behind Peterson, were held to just one 3-pointer apiece. Jack Utz, a reserve junior forward, scored three points in the first half, while sophomore reserve Jordan Moore scored a bucket late to account for the Pirates’ final points.
Platte County senior guard Brett Mueller makes a pass against William Chrisman on Tuesday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
“We’ve got to come together more, and this is a good win because we had good team chemistry,” Peterson said.
Peterson goes into Thursday’s Class 5 District 8 opener needing 18 points to reach 1,000 for his career. Only eight other players have done so at Platte County, although Juday Vignery joined the exclusive club just last year. The Pirates have the No. 6 seed in the bracket and play at Pembroke Hill (13-13) in Kansas City on Wednesday night. The two teams played earlier this season with the Raiders claiming a 59-53 victory that ultimately impacted seeding.
The winner advances to play either No. 2 Kearney or No. 7 East (Kansas City) in a semifinal Friday night with the championship game scheduled for Monday. Defending champion Winnetonka owns the top seed.
Kearney hosts all games in the final two rounds.
Fort Osage 63, Platte County 58
The Pirates finished 4-10 in White Division play after a loss Thursday night in Independence.
Fort Osage (12-14) swept two regular season meetings between the teams after a 62-58 loss to Platte County in the third-place game of the Grain Valley Invitational. The Pirates led the regular season finale 45-38 going into the fourth quarter but continued a frustrating trend of losing late leads during an up-and-down closing stretch.
Platte County allowed 25 points in the fourth quarter — 10 for Fort Osage star senior forward Isaac Woodward, who finished with 19. The Indians also hit 11 of 13 free throws in the comeback.
Woodward also put up nine points in the first quarter before going scoreless for more than 16 minutes.
Platte County took advantage with Peterson (19 points) and Martin (17 points) driving the offense. The Pirates hit five of their six 3s in the first three quarters with Schultz (seven points), McLaughlin (six points) and Stevens (three points) hitting at least one apiece.
Pollard, Morrison and Utz all contributed two points apiece for Platte County, which shot only five free throws total.
