Junior guard Elijah Hockaday takes a contested shot in a conference defeat to Ruskin on Feb. 5.
It has been a challenging season of growth and development for the Platte County boys basketball team, but they have seen some progress.
Facing a season with significant roster turnover, the Pirates have found wins difficult to come by, especially in conference play. Even if their 4-13 record doesn’t accurately reflect much progress, Platte County head coach Rick Hodge has noticed some key improvements.
“I think we’re progressing,” Hodge said. “I see it when I watch film, when I watch practice. I wish it was at a more rapid pace than what it is, but a lot of that comes from scoring consistency, whether that’s finishing at the rim, whether that’s hitting threes and so forth.”
The Pirates started well against Ruskin on Feb. 5 as they led by multiple scores after the first quarter, but a second-quarter injury to junior forward Jordan Moore was enough to tip the scales in Ruskin’s favor. Moore, one of Platte County’s most consistent scorers and ballhandlers, left the game early in the second quarter after landing awkwardly on his ankle, with the severity of his injury unknown.
While Ruskin had started the second quarter on a 6-0 run, Platte County losing one of its two main scoring sources was a blow the team was unable to overcome. The Pirates managed to weather the damage in the second quarter, and even had a chance to take a halftime lead until a turnover allowed Ruskin to score the go-ahead basket with a dunk in transition.
The biggest segment of the contest came out of halftime, when Ruskin went on a 10-0 run. The Eagles quickly expanded their lead to double-digits for the first time of the evening, and while a triple from Jayden Martin got the Pirates back within single digits, Rusking responded with a 7-1 run to end the third with a commanding 41-26 lead.
After being held to just one field goal in the third, Platte County’s offense finally got some shots to fall in a 20-point fourth quarter with five 3-pointers between Martin, Jacoby Keith and Elijah Hockaday. While the effort got the Pirates back within single digits, it was never enough to truly threaten Ruskin’s lead.
Platte County senior Jayden Martin has been a leading contributor throughout this season.
The defeat dropped the Pirates to 4-13 on the season with a conference mark of 0-7. There is still optimism for the Pirates as they continue to show their willingness to play hard and their ability to compete, as evidenced by their three one-score losses. Hodge pointed to Platte County’s struggles caring for the ball, rebounding and finishing at the rim.
“The turnovers hurt us because when you play against a team as athletic as that, the turnovers lead to quick runout layups or dunks,” Hodge said. “There’s no defense for that, so we have to take better care of the ball when we’re facing that pressure. We’re getting better as the season goes on, but we still struggle in some of those areas.”
Junior Jacoby Keith provided an offensive spark for the Pirates against Ruskin, scoring 15 points with four triples.
The Pirates will continue to look for Martin to provide leadership and scoring to finish out his senior season. Additional scoring support could give Platte County the boost it needs to turn some close losses into victories down the final stretch.
Platte County will finish out the regular season with six conference matchups, including two home games against Belton (Feb. 17) and Fort Osage (Feb. 26). The Class 5 District 8 tournament is slated to begin March 3.
“Just continue to improve and get more consistent,” Hodge said. “We’ve got to reduce turnovers and keep moving the ball. They are more patient on offense, and they are moving the ball and sharing the ball better than what they were before, but the biggest thing we need is a little bit more consistent scoring.”