Platte County can’t seem to find a holistic answer and might not have much time remaining. The Pirates have hit a four-game losing skid after a pair of drastically different results this past week in Suburban Conference White Division play.
Platte County senior forward Hayden Schultz looks for space while dribbling against Raytown on Friday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
On Tuesday, Platte County went three overtimes but couldn’t earn a season sweep against Belton before Raytown produced a 36-point rout with a dominant second half Friday night at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Platte County (9-15, 3-9 White Division) hosts William Chrisman on Tuesday’s senior night before ending the regular season Friday at Fort Osage. The Pirates have drawn the No. 6 seed in the upcoming Class 5 District 8 tournament with a scheduled first-round game against Pembroke Hill (12-12), which won the regular season meeting between the two teams 59-53 in early January.
That result came during a season-worst five-game losing skid, and Platte County hasn’t won consecutive games since that point.
Belton’s 74-71 win in three overtimes came after holding Platte County without a field goal in the fourth quarter. Platte County scored just two points in the frame, and the teams finished regulation tied at 50 and then were even at 56 and 62 after the first two extra sessions.
Platte County senior forward Jaden Peterson goes in for a layup against Raytown on Friday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Both teams ended up with four double-digit scorers with Belton freshman Jayce Maiden hitting three 3s in the third overtime to finish with 17 points — tied with two others for the game-high.
Platte County senior forward Hayden Schultz posted a career-high with his 17 points, and eight came in the second quarter to help push the game level at 28-28 at halftime. Jayden Peterson, a senior forward averaging double-digit scoring, added 16 points but didn’t have a field goal after the third quarter.
In the overtimes, Peterson and junior point guard Jayden Martin (12 points) scored six apiece, while Schultz and senior guard Anthony Morrison put up five each. Morrison totaled 14 points — all but two in the second half.
Outside of the top four, Platte County’s remaining scoring came from junior guard Brennan McLaughlin (eight) and reserve forwards Cobe Pollard and Jack Utz (two each).
Platte County senior Cobe Pollard, right, and juniro Jack Utz jostle for the ball against Raytown on Friday at Pirate Fieldhouse.
Three nights later, Raytown (20-3) pulled away for a 77-41 victory behind a game-high 35 points from senior guard Ranelo Smith. He hit seven of the Blue Jays’ 12 3-pointers, including four in the third quarter.
Platte County trailed 36-19 at halftime and fell further behind despite scoring 16 in the third quarter. The Pirates hit six 3s with half coming from Morrison, who posted a team-high 11 points.
Nine different players scored with Peterson held to nine, while junior Braiden Stevens, who remains in an offensive slump, hit two 3s in the second half to finish with six points. No one else for the Pirates had more than Utz’s four, and McLaughlin and Martin both added three points.
The other scorers for Platte County were senior guard Brett Mueller (two), Schultz (two) and Pollard (one).
Platte County hopes to avoid a second five-game losing skid on the season against Chrisman on senior night for Peterson, Schultz, Morrison, Mueller and Pollard. The Pirates can sweep the Bears before playing Fort Osage for the third time, having split the first two.
