At certain points, Eric Mitchell seemed to look down the bench in search of answers.

Platte County junior forward Rylee Carr looks for space against Oak Park on Thursday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Platte County’s third-year coach didn’t have the typical options during difficult stretches Thursday night at Pirate Fieldhouse. The Pirates stayed the course and created intrigue late, but Oak Park pulled away for a 56-49 victory in a nonconference matchup that featured a messy finish.
Dropping to 4-2 on the season, Platte County played without a trio of reserves due to injuries — sophomore Amani Harlin and juniors Emily Huehl and Malin Cole.
“Due to some injuries and things, we’re just a little bit shorthanded, but I’m not going to use that as an excuse,” Mitchell said. “Oak Park executed some nice stuff, especially in the first quarter that we adjusted to — I thought — in the second quarter. And then they came back and hit some big shots in the third and fourth quarter. They’re a good shooting team, and we held them down a little in the first half. We knew they might hit a few there, and they did in the second half.”
Platte County led just once but stayed close behind 13 points from junior forward Rylee Carr, who fouled out in the final minute. The Pirates went ahead 23-21 on a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer from junior guard Addie Ayers with 41 seconds left in the first half.

Platte County senior Addy Schlake goes up for a shot against Oak Park on Thursday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Oak Park added a pair of free throws before the break to create a final tie at 23-23 and then scored the first five points of the third quarter to go ahead for good. The Lady Oakies hit two 3s in the opening minutes of the second half after they led by as many as 10 in the first half.
“We always talk about winning the first 2 minutes coming out of halftime, and we didn’t do that,” Mitchell said.
Ayers, who finished with a career-high 11 points off the bench, provided Platte County with key 3-pointers. She hit her second late in the third quarter to close the Pirates’ deficit to four, only for Oak Park freshman Jaelyn Carter to answer with a potential three-point play.
After Carter missed the free throw, Platte County senior center Addy Schlake (nine points and eight rebounds) hit an inside shot to send the Lady Oakies into the fourth quarter with a 39-35 lead. Ayers then hit her final 3-pointer to bring the Pirates back within one — as close as they came the rest of the way.
“(Ayers) had been working hard,” Mitchell said. “She’s been doing the things that she needs to do, and she hit some good shots tonight. And was in rhythm. I think that’s the biggest thing with her. When we get her in rhythm, she’s a good shooter. She provided a big spark tonight.”

Platte County senior guard Lauren Stone takes a shot against Oak Park on Thursday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Oak Park sophomore Kiera Ross answered Ayers with a 3, and Platte County senior guard Lauren Stone scored her first points on a jumper to the Lady Oakies’ lead to 42-40 with 5:43 left in regulation. The Pirates held possession twice with a chance to tie or take the lead but committed turnovers both times.
Oak Park junior Sierra Geary broke a long scoreless drought for both teams with another 3-pointer, and Ross stepped back to hit the third of the fourth quarter for the Lady Oakies, who answered a bucket from Schlake at the other end.
At that point, Oak Park led 48-42 with 1:49 to go, and senior forward Lili Everley’s three-point play at the back end of a press break extended the advantage to 54-44.
“We just didn’t execute,” Mitchell said. “Hopefully, that’ something, down the stretch, that we’ll do a little better.”
Platte County’s second leading scorer on the season, Stone put up all seven of her points in the fourth quarter. The Pirates struggled on offense without early without her typical production to end up in an early hole.
Oak Park led 6-2 before Carr hit a 3-pointer to provide a much-needed reprieve. The Lady Oakies ended the first quarter on an 11-4 run with Stone missing a deep 3-pointer from the right wing at the buzzer.
Oak Park eventually pushed the lead to 19-9, and Platte County senior forward Haley Schank’s four early points plus seven for Carr before halftime were key to keeping the Pirates within striking distance.
Platte County freshman Kinleigh Howren scored five, including a banked in 3-pointer, late in the second quarter to close the gap to 21-18. Carr, who added six rebounds and a team-high three steals, scored inside with 2:13 left before the break before Ayers gave the Pirates their only lead on the first of her three 3s.

Platte County senior guard Haley Barlow saves a ball from going out of bounds against Oak Park on Thursday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
“We were getting good looks offensively. We weren’t getting back in transition early, and we had to make a concerted effort to make an adjustment to get back,” Mitchell said. “They kind of kicked our tail in the first quarter, beating us down the floor.”
Platte County senior point guard Haley Barlow went scoreless but finished with five assists. Ayers and Howren accounted for the only bench scoring from the Pirates, who ended up debuting freshman Millie Parker with other key reserves unavailable.
Coming off back-to-back winning seasons but coming up short of the Class 5 playoffs in both 2023 and 2024, Platte County increased the difficulty of the nonconference schedule. The Pirates have lost to Lafayette (St. Joseph) and now Oak Park but did beat both Class 6 Raymore-Peculiar and Liberty with the holiday break approaching.
Platte County hosts Class 4 powerhouse Benton on Monday in another marquee matchup.
“It’s still early,” Mitchell said. “We talk a lot about can we learn from these games and these situations now to help us down the stretch. Yes, our schedule is tougher. We’re playing some quality opponents, which I do think will help us.”
Platte County 49, Liberty 46

Platte County senior forward Haley Schank looks to make a pass against Oak Park on Thursday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Carr hit a 3-pointer with 6.7 seconds left in regulation to lift the Pirates to a nonconfeerence victory Monday night in Liberty.
Liberty led 36-30 entering the fourth quarter, but Carr and Schlake combined for all but three of Platte County’s final 19 points to lead a comeback effort. Carr finished with a team-high 14 points after going scoreless in the first half.
Schlake just missed a double-double with 10 points and eight rebounds.
Ayers hit three 3s in the first half to account for all nine of her points, while Stone also put up five in the first half, helping Platte County take a 23-20 lead at the break. The Pirates scored just nine points in the third quarter but then followed the high-scoring duo to the victory.
Schank added a 3 in the fourth quarter and finished with five points, while Barlow finished with six points, three rebounds, three assists and three steals.