Platte County sophomore Lauren Stone takes a jump shot Monday against Central (St. Joseph) in a Winnetonka Invitational matchup Monday at Winnetonka High School in Kansas City.
The early returns on coach Eric Mitchell’s debut season remain positive, but Platte County will continue to seek consistency on offense. The Pirates continued to show a strong defensive identity during a 1-2 showing in the Cardinal Division of the Winnetonka Invitational this week, sandwiching a tight win over Oark Park between losses to Central (St. Joseph) and Grandview.
After a blowout win in the season opener, Platte County struggled with Central’s size in a 51-40 loss in Monday’s bracket opener. The Pirates trailed by as many as 15 in the fourth quarter but rallied late behind senior forward Reese Pickett (12 points) and junior forward Lauren Stone (11 points, four rebounds).
The attempted comeback started when junior point guard Lydia Doole converted a driving layup into a three-point play, and Pickett added a transition layup off a trapping turnover.
The quick five-point burst pulled Platte County within 46-34 with 3 minutes left in regulation. Central started to try and milk the clock, but a missed 3 at the end of a long possession and a charging foul provided more hope. Stone converted a layup off the turnover to make it a 9-0 run and prompt a stoppage in play.
Platte County again set up the press and forced a travel with a well-placed backcourt trap just 6 seconds later after the stoppage. The Pirates then made it 11 unanswered points when senior forward Joslyn Hupp (four points, five rebounds) converted her only field goal of the game with an easy bucket underneath.
Suddenly within 46-40, Platte County could get no closer thanks to a frustrating series of plays.
Central went 3-for-5 on free throws on a what ended up a drawn out possession. The Indians rebounded an initial miss in a one-and-one situation and then forced a jump ball to retain possession on another. They hit the last two attempts from the line to pus the lead to nine.
Platte County junior guard Lydia Doole drives toward the basket against Central (St. Joseph) in a Winnetonka Invitational matchup Monday at Winnetonka High School in Kansas City.
Off a Platte County miss on the other end, Central hit two more free throws to provide the final scoring and send the Pirates to the consolation bracket.
Platte County trailed much of the first quarter with two of 25 total turnovers coming in the opening minutes before Mitchell took a timeout with a 5-0 deficit. Doole, who finished with eight points and team-highs of seven rebounds and four assists, hit a 3 around the 4-minute mark to pull the Pirates within 7-5, and a pair of free throws from Stone plus a defensive stop and driving layup from her evened the score at 9-9 with 1:43 on the clock.
With the late push, a pair of free throws from sophomore point guard Haley Barlow sent Platte County into the second quarter up 11-9. Central went just 2-for-5 on free throws in the first quarter and 3-for-11 overall in the first half to allow the Pirates an opening, but the Indians were within 19-18 at halftime after a bucket at the buzzer.
Central then opened the third quarter on an 8-3 run to take control for good.
Stone her only 3 to answer the first five unanswered, but the Indians responded with a three-point play before Mitchell took a timeout to discuss his frustrations with the defense. Platte County’s deficit slowly grew until senior Lauren Wells made it 39-25 with under a minute left in the third quarter, outscored 21-7 in those 8 minutes.
A left-wing 3-pointer from Pickett then cut into the initial 17-point deficit in the fourth quarter, only for Central senior Bre Dudley to immediately answer with a banked-in trey. That re-established the game-best 17-point deficit and forced the difficult comeback scenario.
Platte County senior forward Joslyn Hupp saves the ball from going out of bounds against Central (St. Joseph) in a Winnetonka Invitational matchup Monday at Winnetonka High School in Kansas City.
Platte County returned the next night and trailed much of the way but staged an earlier comeback this time, outscoring Oak Park 15-2 in the third quarter. That turned a 28-18 deficit into a 33-30 lead, and the Pirates controlled from there thanks to a game-high 13 points from Doole that included three of their seven 3-pointers. She added four assists.
Oak Park kept it close, and Platte County struggled on free throws at 8 of 18 overall. The Pirates were again balanced on offense with eight of the 10 players to see the floor scoring at least two points. Pickett added eight points, five steals and three assists, while Hupp also scored eight.
Stone struggled on offense but recorded a game-high eight rebounds to go with five points, and Barlow also contributed five points.
Platte County’s bench also received a boost from senior Morgan Stewart, junior Delaney Childers and sophomore Addy Schlake — all with two points apiece. The Pirates defense forced 22 turnovers and collected 10 steals total to limit the Lady Oakies to just 15 points in the second half.
In Thursday’s fifth-place game, Platte County’s offense disappeared altogether in a 27-22 loss to Grandview. Stone scored 12 but shot just 4 of 13 overall and did most of her damage with three 3s. The Pirates were 8 of 42 overall from the field and hit just 2 of 7 free throws.
Schlake recorded nine rebounds — six on offense but finished with just one point, and Pickett was held scoreless while adding five boards.
Platte County collected 33 rebounds total with Stone (seven) and Doole (six) also big on the glass. Stone’s all-around game also included four steals.
Through four games, Platte County has now alternated wins and losses and will look to avoid falling below .500 for the first time this season Monday in a road game at Lafayette. The Pirates
