Facing the most substantial test of mettle in a month, Platte County started strong, delivered critical responses late and pulled away for a 54-43 win over Suburban Conference White Division rival Grain Valley on Tuesday at Pirate Fieldhouse. Outside of struggles at the free throw line, the Pirates were efficient on offense and hit 8 of 12 3-point attempts and never trailed.
Platte County senior guard Lydia Doole fights for a loose ball against Grain Valley on Tuesday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Platte County, which improved to 12-2 overall after a win against Winnetonka two nights later, also took the lead in the conference standings and takes a nine-game winning streak into this week.
“We knew that it was going to be a different game because we’ve played some lesser opponents and we’ve had a lot of snow days so we haven’t had a consistent practice (schedule) but we were pretty confident,” Platte County senior guard Lydia Doole said.
Platte County had not played a team with a winning since a matchup of Class 5-ranked teams with Smithville on December 18.
Grain Valley (9-5) entered tied for first in the White Division and had won both matchups between the two teams a year earlier behind the play of high-scoring Grace Slaughter, who graduated and now plays Division I at Missouri. However, the Eagles struggled against pressure defense (24 turnovers) and went 6-for-23 on 3-point attempts, unable to hit from beyond the arc until the second quarter with five of the makes coming after halftime during a comeback attempt.
Platte County raced to a 12-4 lead with 3 minutes, 11 seconds left in the first quarter behind a breakaway layup for junior forward Lauren Stone (game-high 16 points) and a 3 each for guards Doole and Delaney Childers — the senior duo finishing with nine points apiece and combining to go a perfect 5-for-5 on 3-point attempts.
Platte County junior forward dribbles up the court against Grain Valley on Tuesday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
“We really just came out with energy,” Doole said. “It definitely sets a tone and gets some momentum going and builds everyone’s confidence and gets everyone excited.”
Doole, a fourth-year contributor, continued to provide energy and leadership as Platte County battled through an 0-for-6 showing on free throws in the first half. She forced a jump ball with 5:59 left before halftime and added an offensive rebound — one of five boards overall — to set up Stone for a 3 that pushed the Pirates’ advantage to 17-4.
Grain Valley answered with a 3 from Camryn Kelly, who scored a team-high 15 points, while Pyper Hartigan created a chance at a three-point play but missed the free throw. The Eagles were within 17-9, only for Platte County sophomore reserve guard Addie Ayers to hit a 3-pointer on her only shot attempt and Childers to convert a tough layup while drawing a foul, only to also miss from the line.
Ayers and freshman Amani Harlin (two offensive rebounds) played key stretches of the second quarter, and Platte County go into the break with a 29-12 advantage. Childers and junior center Addy Schlake scored eight points apiece in the first half, while Stone had seven.
“I told our bench, everyone of them gave us good minutes at specific times,” Mitchell said. “I know they want to play more; heck, everybody wants to play more. But when you can only play five people, when you get your opportunity or get your number called, you’ve got to get in there and give it your all, and I felt like tonight all four of them off the bench did that very well for us tonight.”
Platte County sophomore guard Addie Ayers takes a 3-pointer against Grain Valley on Tuesday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Platte County continued to hold the momentum in the third quarter.
Doole hit her second 3 to answer one from Grain Valley early in the frame, and Grain Valley’s deficit hit 36-18 after junior reserve forward Haley Schank split a pair of free throws with 3:49 on the clock. The Eagles had just two 3-pointers after halftime at that point.
Platte County’s largest lead came at 39-18, while shooting 5-for-11 on free throws in the third quarter.
“That’s just an area where we’ve got to continue to work and improve and get better, be able to step up in those situations,” Mitchell said. “Several points in the game that could have been big in the game. We’ve got to clean that up.”
Grain Valley closed the third quarter on a 7-0 run that extended to 13 unanswered early in the fourth.
Mitchell took a timeout with 6:58 left in regulation, and Platte County saw the advantage dwindle all the way to 39-33. On the next possession, Stone drove into the lane and kicked out to Doole in the right corner for a 3-pointer that quelled the Eagles’ surge. Stone then hit her second 3 after a defensive stop to reestablish a double-digit lead.
“It’s nice when the defense gets drawn in from the layups and you’re able to pass it out. It’s just nice to hit those shots from good passes,” said Doole, who added three assists and a team-high five steals.
Those 3s were part of an 8-0 Platte County run that ultimately kept the Pirates in control.
Platte County junior forward Haley Schank looks to make a pass against Grain Valley on Tuesday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Platte County sophomore Rylee Carr, the Pirates’ top scoring option off the bench, saw increased minutes in the second half, and she hit two buckets in the fourth quarter on her way to finishing with six points to go with four rebounds. Schlake just missed a double-double with nine points and nine boards and added four steals.
Stone also notched four steals, while Platte County junior point guard Haley Barlow finished with tree and scored one point.
“Knowing that’s a quality team that we knew was going to give us a run at that team, fighting off that run was what we were trying to do,” Mitchell said. “That was our objective was to hold that run and not let them overtake us. They got it down to six, maybe, and we finally buckled down a little bit and got a couple of stops and hit a couple of shots.”
Platte County 54, Winnetonka 42
Schlake scored a career-high 17 points to go with 10 rebounds in a dominant performance Thursday at Pirate Fieldhouse. She scored 11 in the first half to send the Pirates into the break with a 34-23 advantage.
Winnetonka (9-6) closed within five early in the third quarter, but Childers’ and-one opportunity created a key sequence. She missed the free throw, but Schlake grabbed an offensive rebound and scored the outback for a four-point possession. She added a mother bucket on the next possession and forced the Griffins into a timeout back down 38-28 with 3:11 left in the frame.
Platte County led by at least eight the rest of the way with Doole’s fourth 3-pointer pushing the lead back to 51-38 with 2:21 left in regulation. She finished with 12 points and six rebounds, while Stone added 10 points and six more boards.
Children totaled three steals to go with five points and three rounds, and Barlow scored one point but contributed a team-high five assists.
