The Eric Mitchell era is officially underway, with the Platte County girls’ basketball team (2-2) being off to its best start since 2020 with the first-year head coach.
First year head coach Eric Mitchell has helped lead the Platte County girls’ basketball team to a 2-2 start to the season.
In the 43rd Annual Winnetonka Invitational, a third quarter surge helped the Lady Pirates narrowly escape a matchup on the consolation side of the Cardinal Division Bracket with Oak Park (0-4) on Nov. 29. Going into the half down 28-18, Platte County scored the opening seven points of the third quarter and outscored Oak Park 15 to two in the frame.
The Lady Pirates came out with a 45-43 win to extend their winning streak to eight games – dating back to 2015 – over the Lady Oakies. Lydia Doole led the offense with 13 points and four assists, while having one steal and one block on defense.
In the fifth-place game, 16 Platte County turnovers became the catalyst to a 27-22 loss to Grandview (3-2) on Dec. 1. Since a matchup in the 39th Annual Winnetonka Invitational in 2018, the Lady Pirates have fallen short in the last nine meetings of the series.
Lauren Stone made three of the Lady Pirates’ four 3-pointers – shooting an efficient three of six – to end with a team-high 12 points. Stone also grabbed seven rebounds and had four of Platte County’s six steals.
The Lady Pirates took a 2-year stint away from the Winnetonka Invitational to play in the Savannah Tournament in 2020 and 2019. The last time Platte County was in the tournament, it finished in fifth place.
To start the season, Stone and Doole have both made six of their 14 3-point shot attempts as the two leading scorers for Platte County. Stone is averaging 9.3 points and Doole is averaging 8.3 points per game so far into the year.
Platte County will have its next two games at home. The Lady Pirates will play St. Michael the Archangel (2-1) on Dec. 12 and Van Horn on Dec. 16.