Junior Haley Barlow will be a key player for Platte County this winter.
PLATTE CITY – Missing out on playing in a district championship game for more than a decade, the Platte County girls’ basketball team is coming off its first appearance since 2010 and looking to build from that.
In the first year under Eric Mitchell, Platte County finished as the runner-up in the Class 4 District 8 Tournament and won 18 games for the first time since 2011. Although the Lady Pirates came up five points shy of a district title, they have four players who are coming back that were in the starting lineup at some point last winter.
Senior guard Lydia Doole was an all-conference selection in 2022-2023 and will lead the way alongside the junior trio of Haley Barlow, Lauren Stone and Addy Schlake. While Platte County had an impressive season last year, it is looking to move on and focus on what lies ahead.
“We need to understand what happened last year is over and we have to reestablish ourselves this season,” Platte County head girls’ basketball coach Eric Mitchell said. “We need to understand that we will not be able to sneak up on any team this season.”
Senior Delaney Childers and sophomore Rylee Carr are set to take on bigger roles this season to replace the 2023 seniors. Haley Shank, Addie Ayers and Amani Harlin are going to add depth to the squad.
“We’re entering the season with expectations of continuing to improve and take the program to the next level. We’re striving for constant improvement throughout the season. We’ve been working hard to fit the pieces together and find the right combinations of players. We have some good tests on the schedule early in the season to show us what our strengths and weaknesses are,” Mitchell said.
Doole was efficient in the back court in her junior campaign, scoring seven points and grabbing 4.6 rebounds a game with an efficient 35 percent shooting from deep. Schlake was a Kansas City Suburban Conference White Division Honorable Mention when she led the team in rebounds – with 7.6 per game – and averaged 6.5 points.
“We have to continue to trust the process and stay healthy throughout the season. We don’t have a lot of numbers this year but the players that are in the gym will be prepared when their number is called,” Mitchell said.