The West Platte boys’ basketball team (9-5) was short-handed in its second KCI Conference loss of the season when Lawson (7-12) came to town and pulled out a 54-43 victory on Jan. 20.
West Platte junior Miles McHenry drives through a pack of Lawson defenders as he led his team with 17 points in the 54-43 loss to Lawson on Jan. 20.
The Blue Jays were without their leading scorer, senior point guard Charlie Kinslow, in the game and were unable to extend their winning streak over the Cardinals. Entering the night, West Platte had won its last six games against Lawson dating back to 2019.
The rivals have a history of long streaks against each other as Lawson won seven in a row from 2015 to 2018 and West Platte came out on top in the previous six matchups, going back to 2012. Before that, the Blue Jays had won seven in a row from 2009 to 2012.
Second year West Platte head coach Tyler Funk used to play for Gary Belcher – who is the current head coach for Lawson – at Kearney, where he was in the graduating class of 2010. Funk won both matchups last year, but Belcher finally earned a victory over his former player in the most recent meeting.
Miles McHenry had an all-around solid performance finishing with a team-high 17 points, seven rebounds and one block on six-of-10 shooting. Ezra Stigman has been on fire from downtown lately – making 10 shots from deep on 20 attempts in his last three games – and most recently knocked down three triples to score 11 points.
Cohen Kite had six points, five rebounds and a career-high four steals and Drake Montez added five points. The Blue Jays outrebounded the Cardinals 30 to 21, but made less field goals, free throws and 3-pointers, while also having six more turnovers.
This was West Platte’s third conference game of the season after beating Penney (4-12) back on Dec. 16 and losing to Mid-Buchanan (10-6) on Jan. 6. The Blue Jays had an impressive outing in the Lawson Invitational – going 2-1 and finishing in third place – but has lost their only other three games since the start of the New Year.
The Blue Jays will look to bounce back in the competitive North Platte Tournament, where they will be the No. 3 seed. The Blue Jays’ first-round matchup was against Braymer (10-6) – who is a district opponent – on Jan. 24 and will take on No. 2 seeded Mid-Buchanan or seventh-seeded North Platte (7-10) in its next game.