A quick review revealed Lauren Stone’s name went into the official scorebook before Tuesday’s season-opener against Savannah.
Platte County junior forward Rylee Carr goes in for a layup in a nonconference game against Savannah on Tuesday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Once a question mark to play due to a minor knee injury, Platte County’s versatile senior guard did not check-in until the second quarter but provided exactly what the shorthanded coaching staff needed. She took turns with junior forward Rylee Carr powering the Pirates’ offense in a 54-41 victory at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Stone and Carr put up 18 points apiece with Platte County going deep into a somewhat inexperienced bench and forced to come back from multiple deficits.
“(Stone) was a little sore (Monday), kind of just did half a practice. She went through warmups, asked her it was; she said it felt good so we were just a little cautious in that first quarter, but she brought good energy off the bench. That’s kind of what we needed,” said Platte County assistant coach Katlyn Donovan, who helped lead the Pirates bench with head coach Eric Mitchell absent for personal reasons. “We talked early that if she was going to get in, we wanted to limit her minutes, but credit to Savannah. They hit a lot of good shots tonight and were aggressive offensively and defensively. We just kind of talked that we needed a spark, and Lauren was able to provide that for us.”
Showing little evidence of a bruised knee suffered in the preseason jamboree, Stone hit three 3-pointers in the third quarter to give Platte County a double-digit lead at 40-30.
Savannah immediately hit a 3-pointer to draw within seven but could draw no closer. The Pirates responded with five straight points and went up 45-33 when senior center Addy Schlake, limited to four points but adding seven rebounds and five assists while facing double teams in the post, kicked a pass out to senior forward Haley Schank on the left wing. She calmly drained a 3-pointer on her way to seven points.
Platte County senior forward Haley Schank takes a 3-pointer against Savannah on Tuesday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Minus a pair of starters from a year ago due to graduation plus Stone and sophomore Amani Harlin on the bench with injuries, Platte County (1-0) started Schank and junior guard Addie Ayers (four points and four steals) alongside Schlake, Carr and senior point guard Haley Barlow (one point, two assists and two steals).
“You don’t necessarily remember Haley, but she does all those little things that we see as coaches,” Donovan said. “Seeing Haley’s progress from last year to this year, I’m not sure that last year she would have taken that 3, so that was good to see that she was comfortable in that position.”
Carr helped keep Savannah at bay with seven points in the fourth quarter. The Savages hit three of their four 3s in the final 8 minutes to stay within striking distance but unable to make a late run.
A starter early in her sophomore season, Carr also started strong and helped push Platte County to an early 6-0 lead. She scored 10 of the Pirates’ 25 first-half points with Savannah coming back from the early deficit to create significant back-and-forth exchanges.
Carr went scoreless in the third quarter but reemerged at the right time late, showing off the willingness to take the ball to the basket in any situation. She hit 8 of 11 shots from the floor and also made her only free throw attempt.
“She’s quick with the ball and provides a lot on offense,” Donovan said. “We’re still working with her on defense, making sure she’s in the right position, but we love what she does for us.”
Platte County senior forward Addy Schlake looks to make a pass against Savannah on Tuesday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Stone, who added five rebounds, came off the bench and added seven points before halftime, but Platte County also received significant minutes from Schank, freshman guard Kinleigh Howren (two points) and junior Emily Huehl, a junior transfer into the program.
“Game-like situations for a lot of girls who were inexperienced on the varsity level,” Donvovan said. “Especially with Lauren having that injury she had, we knew Kinleigh and Emily would have to play a little bit more minutes than we expected tonight, but I thought they came in, provided some good minutes and gave those needed breaks when our starters needed them.”
The makeshift lineup held up until Stone arrived somewhat out of necessity. Her outside shooting helped Platte County pull away and survive an initial test coming off of a 21-win season. The Pirates were also able to debut junior forward Malin Cole late in the fourth quarter in an effort to help build experience for a rotation needing to pick up significant minutes and build on the resurgence in Mitchell’s first two years as coach.
Platte County opens play in the Winnetonka Invitational on Monday night against Central (St. Joseph) with semifinals and place games scheduled for Thursday and Friday. If the Pirates lose in the first round, they play again on Wednesday.
