The West Platte basketball season was as memorable as ever, with the girls having their best record of the 21st century and the boys narrowly taking down one of the best teams in Class 2 in districts.
West Platte senior point guard Charlie Kinslow was the first Blue Jay in nearly a decade to earn all-state honors this past winter.
The John Kruse era ended on a high note, with the Lady Blue Jays having 16 wins opposed to nine losses as the head coach stepped away from the game to take on a principal role. The West Platte girls haven’t been known for success on the basketball court in quite some time, but that changed in the winter.
Following a sluggish 2-3 start, West Platte won six in a row, took third place in the Lawson Invitational Tournament and was the runner-up in the North Platte Tournament. The Lady Blue Jays won their first four games of KCI Conference play before dropping two of the final three.
West Platte clinched the top-seed in the Class 2 District 15 Tournament, but a first-round bye ended up being less appealing than it seemed. Having nine days off, the Lady Blue Jays came out flat and were upset by Plattsburg – the same team West Platte had beaten 59-26 about two weeks earlier – in an overtime thriller in the district semifinals.
West Platte’s promising season and impressive turnaround fell short of a postseason win, bidding farewell to senior starters Colby Shepardson and Madisyn Matlick. McKenzie Reagan will take over as the head coach for the Lady Blue Jays next season with high expectations as Julia Pattison, Avery Holmes and Sam Baker will be returning starters.
Charlie Kinslow was an all-state boy basketball player this winter, leading his squad to its third straight district championship. Plattsburg was West Platte’s kryptonite, being responsible for three of the Blue Jays’ eight losses on the year.
West Platte senior Colby Shepardson helped lead the Lady Blue Jays to their best season since the 90’s this past winter.
West Platte started off 5-0 – its best start since its state quarterfinal appearance in 2014 – before losing to Plattsburg in the KCI Tournament Championship. The Blue Jays followed that up with some inconsistent play, splitting the next eight games before being crowned champions in the tough North Platte Tournament and keeping strong play going with a 6-game winning streak.
West Platte was the No. 3 seed in the Class 2 District 15 Tournament and eliminated Braymer and got revenge on Gallatin – who beat West Platte in the district championship the year prior – in overtime in the district semifinals. Plattsburg hadn’t lost a game up to this point, and had beaten the Blue Jays twice, as the KCI rivals met in the district championship.
For three and a half quarters, West Platte kept up, but that ended down the stretch of the postseason game. Plattsburg went on to take third place in Class 3 and West Platte’s season ended with an 18-8 record.
Kinslow averaged 13.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals and will be tough to replace after being a 3-year starter, but junior big man Miles McHenry had an impressive year averaging 12 points and grabbing 6.6 boards. Ezra Stigman and Xavier Reynolds were a pair of senior reliable long distant shooters who graduated.
Peyson Chandler ended his wrestling career with a sixth-place finish in the 150-weight class and a 39-11 record. Lane Scott collected a fifth-place medal in the 215-weight class, winning 34 matches and losing 18 throughout the year.
Canton Wilkens and David Brown made it to state as well but didn’t reach the podium. Kristen Crockett has laid the foundation for the Lady Blue Jays’ program and although she fell short of a state appearance, she signed to continue her academic and athletic career at Quincy University.