There may not be another girls basketball team in the Greater KC White Division that has faced as much of a daunting non-conference schedule as Platte County.
The Pirates faced six Class 6 teams in their first eight non-conference games, coming away with a victory against Central on Dec. 3 and opening its conference schedule with a win at Ruskin on Dec. 18. Platte County lost both lower-class matchups on the road at Class 4 runner-up Benton and at Savannah, which won 11 of its first 12 games.
The brute of Platte County’s schedule came shortly after the start of the New Year, when they fell to defeat against Class 6 powers North Kansas City on Jan. 5 and Liberty on Jan. 7, and concluded the week with a conference loss to Grain Valley on Jan. 9.
Platte County found a much-needed response on Jan. 12, when they cruised past Truman with its greatest offensive display of the season, taking a 53-38 victory at Pirate Fieldhouse. The senior duo of Rylee Carr and Addie Ayers led the way, scoring more than half of the team’s points.
“I feel like it’s a good step in the right direction,” Ayers said. “You see our schedule and you see our record, and it’s definitely not what you think it would be, but we’re playing a really good schedule.”
The victory on home court was one the Pirates needed. It was the perfect response to a string of lopsided defeats.
“We kind of challenged them after the tough week we had,” Platte County head coach Eric Mitchell said. “They responded well. We’re kind of a young, inexperienced team, and we’re kind of learning what we need to do to be successful.”
Carr was electric out of the gates, scoring Platte County’s first 8 points and completing a pair of old-fashioned 3-point plays to give the Pirates an early 8-2 advantage in the opening three minutes. Ayers eventually got the hot hand, making a pair of triples to extend Platte County’s lead to 21-9 after the first quarter.
Platte County senior guard Rylee Carr gets fouled while going up for a basket in the Pirates’ win against Truman on 12.
Offense slowed up in the second quarter for both teams, with Platte County holding Truman to just one field goal. Still, buckets from Carr, Ayers and freshman Clare Stephens expanded the Pirates’ lead to 15 points at halftime.
Truman’s attempt to cut into the deficit in the third quarter was answered by Platte County going on an 11-6 run to end the third quarter. Junior Macy Doll stepped up late in the quarter, scoring a bucket early in the quarter before hitting 3 of 4 free throws with an offensive rebound, boosting the Pirates ahead 42-23 after three quarters.
Platte County went up 21 points early in the final frame with a bucket from Madeline Arthurs, with Millie Parker also getting on the scoresheet for the second time of the evening, as both teams traded a pair of buckets to open the fourth quarter. Carr had one final score in the fourth to give the Pirates their biggest lead of the night, up 50-28, before the Pirates put in some reserves to close out the victory.
“It was a conference game, so we were extremely hungry to get an opportunity to play a conference opponent,” Mitchell said. “To come away with a win, we are really excited.”
Mitchell challenged his team to maximize their effort and execution, and he was pleased with their performance following the win over Truman, shooting nearly 40% from the field and 33% from deep. It was Platte County’s fourth consecutive win against Truman.
Platte County senior Addie Ayers takes a shot in the Pirates’ conference win against Truman.
“I feel like this marks a turning point,” Ayers said. “Now we’re going into conference play, and getting a win is a good feeling for sure; it’s a good turnaround.”
Carr and Ayers both hit 5 field goals, with Carr shooting 6 of 6 from the line to lead all scorers with 16 points. Ayers hit three triples in the first half to end the game with 13 points.
“They’ve been in the program for four years, so we put a lot on their shoulders,” Mitchell said. “Tonight, they came out and did a good job.”
Ayers’ role on the team as a mentor is one she has not had before this season. There were four seniors she had last season that helped mentor her, something she hopes to hand down throughout the remainder of her senior season.
Millie Parker, who scored 7 points against Truman, is Platte County’s third leading scorer as a sophomore.
“I’ve always kind of been in the situation where I’ve had mentors and I’ve never really had to mentor,” Ayers said. “Developing as a mentor and trying to give these girls a good experience, showing them the mentality and work ethic they need to have.”
Platte County still has plenty of work before postseason play rolls around. Until then, the Pirates hope to continue making all the progress they can.
“We’re probably never where we, as a coaching staff, want them to be,” Mitchell said. “But they’re working, and that’s all we can ask of them, to keep working and putting their foot forward to see where we go from there.”