Judah Vignery become the eighth player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points on a night that the Platte County boys’ basketball team (13-10) fell 13 points short against Raytown (17-6) on Feb. 16.
PLATTE CITY – Judah Vignery surpassed 1,000 career points on a night that the Platte County boys’ basketball team (13-10) fell 13 points short against Raytown (17-6) on Feb. 16.
VIgnery is one of just eight Pirates to reach said accomplishment, becoming the first one since 2005 when both Lorenzo Riley and Kirk Stegeman did it in the same season. At the 3:15 mark in the third quarter, the leading scorer in the White Division knocked down a right wing 3-pointer to give him 15 points at the time, putting him two points above 1K in his career.
Platte County called a timeout to give Vignery and the crowd the opportunity to appreciate the historical moment. Unfortunately for the Pirates, Vignery’s individual achievement wasn’t enough to come away with the win or a potential conference title.
Heading into the night, Platte County was 5-2 in the White Division of the Kansas City Suburban Conference and Raytown – which still has to play Belton (9-16) – was 5-1. The stakes were high in a game that was played at Pirate Fieldhouse as the home team could clinch a share of the conference with a win.
Raytown took care of business, doubling Platte County’s first half points and leading 38-19. Vignery only had seven first half points as he stepped up after the break to not only enter the record books but going on a scoring surge.
The 6’4 guard scored three points on four separate possessions in the third period, knocking down two shots from behind the arc and converting on two straight and-one play opportunities. He was also fouled on a three and made two of his shots, bringing the score to 49-37.
Anthony Morrison came up big down the stretch, scoring 12 points in his third straight start in the aftermath of Isaac Dittrick being sidelined with a knee injury. The junior sunk a triple with 3:42 left in the game to cut the deficit to 52-47, which was the closest the scoreboard read.
The Blue Jays made some plays down the stretch, ending the game on a 14-7 run and walking away with a 66-54 victory. Vignery ended with 25 points and Judah Peterson added seven points.
Following the second straight loss, which includes a 52-41 defeat to Belton on Feb. 13, there are two more regular season games for Platte County. The Pirates hosted Raytown South (13-11) on Feb. 20 and will end the regular season at Grandview (18-4) on Feb. 23.
After that, the postseason is officially here, and Platte County will take on Smithville (12-12) for the third time this season in the opening round of the Class 5 District 8 Tournament. The Pirates are the No. 5 seed, and the Warriors are the No. 4 seed, as the game will be played at Winnetonka High School on Feb. 29 at 5:30 p.m.