Platte County holds off Creston to end losing skid going into holiday break

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The ultimate result provided a balance between the positive of stopping a losing skid and the negative of nearly letting a double-digit lead slip away.

Platte County held on for a 58-56 win over Creston (Iowa) on Wednesday night at HyVee Arena in a Twelve Courts of Christmas matchup behind a game-high 25 points from senior guard Judah Vignery. The Pirates entered off of back-to-back tight losses on the road at Kearney (68-63 in overtime) and at Smithville (44-41), raced to a 22-10 lead in the first quarter against the out-of-state opponent but needed to mount a comeback late to escape.

Creston senior guard Cael Turner heaved up a shot from near half-court as time expired that ended up offline.

“The win was nice after the last two tough ones we had, all right? And coming down here and getting a win and having a winning record going into Christmas break is a positive,” Platte County coach Rick Hodge said. “At least it gives us something to build on. When you look at the last three games, we certainly have a lot of things we need to work on at both ends of the floor.”

Creston’s high-scoring trio of junior Jake Hoyt (23 points), senior Tony Davidson (15 points) and Turner (13 points) led the Panthers back after halftime. The Panthers tallied the first four points of the fourth quarter to take a 46-43 lead.

Platte County senior guard Isaac Dittrick answered with a bucket to close the deficit to one, and Vignery did the same moments later, leading to a timeout from Hodge with 6 minutes, 22 seconds left in regulation. He ended up scoring eight straight for the Pirates with two of his five 3-pointers.

“That is his role, but we have to do a better job of moving when the ball is in his hands and find other avenues other than stand and watch to see what he does,” Hodge said.

An inside basket from junior Jaden Peterson left Platte County with a 57-52 advantage, only for Creston to close within three points at the 57.8-second mark. The Pirates then ran the clock to 19 seconds while absorbing fouls, only to throw the ball away on an inbounds play.

Creston misfired on a 3-pointer but stuck a putback to close within one. The Panthers then fouled Platte County senior Brady Wetzel, who split a pair of free throws to create the precarious two-point advantage with 2.5 seconds left on a smaller court than most.

Starting with all five players out of bounds, Creston tried a trick play to free up Turner, but the shot ended up contested and on the run.

“We’ve had three straight tight late games, and execution hasn’t been terrible,” Hodge said. “They’ve actually kept their poise relatively well, but we have to get the ball where it needs to go and not turning the ball over when we have to have possession.”

Platte County ended up hitting nine 3-pointers total, including one each for junior Anthony Morrison (nine points), Peterson (nine points), Dittrick (five points) and Wetzel (four points). Vignery hit two plus one each for Dittrick and Morrison to help build a 22-10 lead, only for Creston to close the first quarter with an 8-0 run. The Panthers then added a 3-pointer early in the second quarter to draw within one.

Morrison scored four off the bench, and junior reserve forward Archie Wesley added his only basket to help Platte County stay ahead while Vignery and Peterson took their rests before halftime. The Pirates would go briefly go back up double digits but settled for a 34-28 lead at the break due to turnovers (18 total) and occasionally quick shots, although they finished 23-for-47 from the floor (48.9%).

“I was more frustrated with the defensive end,” Hodge said. “We’re putting up enough points to win the game. We have to make more stops, and we have to be able to make more stops and understand defensive assignments.”

Platte County (5-3) led by eight twice in the third quarter, but Creston drew level at 41-41 with Morrison’s final two points keeping the Panthers from holding a lead until the fourth quarter. The Pirates ended up with wide-spread contributions on offense, including two points from senior point guard Connor Currence (six rebounds and five assists) and the first two points of the season for senior forward Jacob Isaacson.

Vignery added a team-high seven rebounds, two steals and two assists.

“We’ve had some of those contributing factors,” Hodge said. “There’s times Jaden Peterson carries us as our second leading scorer. There’s nights where Dittrick and Wetzel are hitting 3 balls and Morrison off the bench so we’re getting production in other areas and guys who step up in key spots.”

Smithville 44, Platte County 41

The Warriors slowed the pace and held on for a nonconference win last Monday, December 18 at Smithville High School.

A top-five scorer in the Kansas City metro, Vignery still finished with 19 points and three 3s to lead Platte County, which started fast but couldn’t sustain momentum. Peterson added 13 points, but eh Pirates scored just 24 points combined in the final three quarters.

Dittrick added a 3-pointer, and Morrison, Wetzel and junior Hayden Schultz each scored two apiece. Morrison didn’t have a field goal and didn’t score after chipping in two first quarter free throws.

Smithville led 38-33 going to the fourth quarter and prevailed despite scoring just six points in the final 8 minutes. Vignery put up eight points in the first quarter and finished with a team-high of seven rebounds plus two steals.

Peterson and Dittrick posted five rebounds each, while Wetzel and Currence led Platte County with three assists apiece.

Kearney 68, Platte County 63, OT

The Bulldogs went 9-for-9 on free throws in overtime to earn the win on Friday, December 15 at Kearney High School.

Kearney’s Drew Wilson led all scorers with 27 points and went 7-for-7 at the line, hitting five in the extra session after the teams finished regulation tied at 55-55. The Bulldogs were a perfect 14-for-14 on free throws overall.

Vignery finished in single digits for scoring (eight points) for the first time this season and didn’t have a 3-pointer. However, Platte County still hit 11 shots from beyond the arc to stay close with Dittrick leading the way at four to post 12 points. He added team-highs of six rebounds and four assists)

Currence totaled a career-high 14 points — 12 after halftime — with two 3s and five steals, while Morrison finished with 10 points (two 3s) and Peterson added 11 points (one 3).

Only five players scored for Platte County, and Wetzel (two 3s) matched Vignery’s eight points. The Pirates forced 16 turnovers but only attempted seven free throws total.