Drew Aggus
Special to the Citizen
In the consolation championship of the North Platte Invitational (NPI), the North Andrew Cardinals knocked off the West Platte Bluejays in a game played on Friday, Jan. 31 in Dearborn.
After taking an early 4-3 advantage, the Cardinals went on a 9-1 run that spanned most of the first quarter. However, the second quarter looked a lot more competitive.
Despite trailing by as many as eight points early on, the Bluejays cut the deficit to just two. Unfortunately for the Bluejays, that’s the closest that it would get again. The Cardinals went on another run – this one 9-2 – to take a 24-15 lead into halftime.
The third quarter started, and in what seemed like the blink of an eye, the Cardinals held a 37-19 lead.
A large contributor in this matchup was the massive crowd that showed up to support the Cardinals, despite being nearly 40 miles away from their school.
Bluejays coach Ryan Nichols knew that his team had their hands full coming into this matchup.
“They went on a stretch where they didn’t miss a 3-pointer,” Nichols said. “Our goal is to take away the paint, and when they’re going to hit those shots, we know it’s going to be a tough one.”
Despite 26 points in the last 10 minutes or so from the Bluejays, the Cardinals would hang on for the 13-point win.
DREW AGGUS/Citizen photo
West Platte’s Miles DeMayo (23) brings the ball inside with North Andrew’s McKinley Lillard defending during a game on Friday, Jan. 31 in Dearborn. Mo.
Cardinals coach Wade Bryson thought that the hot start in the second half was the turning point of the game for his team.
“It felt like we finally started knocking some shots down,” Bryson said. “In the first half, we were getting good looks; they just weren’t going in. I thought the boys showed great poise to continue to work on the defensive end and control the glass, and eventually, those shots started to fall.”
Another big differentiator in this matchup was rebounding. Nichols knew that this would be integral to victory, due to his team’s lack of size.
“We talked a lot about the rebounding battle and how important it was to win it,” Nichols said. “They doubled us up at least; we knew that was going to be tough to overcome.
However, according to Bryson, winning the rebounding was a key part of the Cardinals’ strategy coming into the game, as well.
“We knew if we could control the glass that it might send a message early on,” Bryson said.
Cardinals senior Jaden Baker led all scorers, picking up 21 points in the win. Bluejays senior Phillip Pattison put up 19 points, as well, though no other Bluejay scored more than six.
Nichols was pleased with his team’s tournament performance, even though they ended up coming in sixth place overall.
“This was a great tournament,” Nichols said. “I really saw a lot of growth and improvement from our team.”
Earlier in the year, the Cardinals took down the Bluejays 74-40. Following a much closer game, Bryson had some kind words for Nichols and his squad.
“I’m really impressed with West Platte,” Bryson said. “They have improved so much. Coach Nichols is doing a great job down there.”
Mound City 76, West Platte 46
The third-seeded Mound City Panthers blew out the sixth-seeded West Platte Bluejays in their first-round matchup of the NPI, which was played on Monday, Jan. 27.
Before a 30-point second half, the Bluejays were only able to put up 16 points in the first half. This slow start would allow the Panthers to build up their lead and hold on for the 30-point win.
Senior Phillip Pattison put up 17 points in the loss, while senior Miles DeMayo scored 11. All other Bluejays were held to four points or fewer.
With the loss, the Bluejays would take on the loser of the North Platte-Platte Valley matchup, while Mound City would await the victor.
Platte Valley 64, North Platte 29
In a game similar to that of West Platte’s, the seventh-seeded North Platte Panthers were trounced by second-seeded Platte Valley in the first round of the NPI, which was played on Monday, Jan. 27.
The Panthers scored just six points in the first quarter and eight in the second, allowing Platte Valley to take an early advantage. Only able to score 16 points in the second half, the Panthers would fall to Platte Valley by 35.
Senior Cameron Leupold looked good in this game, scoring a team-high 11 points. Unfortunately for Leupold, none of his teammates scored more than four points.
Following the win, Platte Valley would take on Mound City – a game that they would win on their way to claiming the boys’ tournament crown.
With the loss, North Platte set up an inter-county showdown with West Platte.
West Platte 76, North Platte 60
Following tough losses for both teams, the West Platte Bluejays were able to oust the North Platte Panthers in their consolation semifinal matchup, which was played on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
After both teams got off to slow starts in their respective first-round games, both would get off to hot starts in this one, as the Bluejays held a 20-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. Bluejays Xavier Reynolds and Miles DeMayo knocked down two 3-pointers each in the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Bluejays got hotter, while the Panthers cooled down a bit. The Panthers were outscored 22-13 by the Bluejays in the second quarter, giving the Bluejays a 42-29 advantage at halftime. Phillip Pattison and Reynolds each scored nine in this quarter, while the Panthers had a much more balanced attack.
The Panthers attempted to mount a comeback in the third quarter, outscoring the Bluejays 17-16 in the quarter. Mason Montez put up seven points for the Bluejays in the third, while Andrew Hernandez led the Panthers with six.
Unfortunately for the Panthers, they were unable to hold off the Bluejays’ strong offensive attack, getting outscored 18-14 in the final frame and losing the game by 16.
Montez had just five points in the first half but 15 in the second to bring his game-high total to 20 points. Reynolds dropped in 17 for the Bluejays, as well, while Pattison netted 16.
Hernandez led the Panthers in the loss, scoring 13, while Cameron Leupold put up 12 and Ty French 10, respectively
With the loss, the tournament-hosting Panthers were eliminated from the NPI, while the Bluejays would move on to the consolation championship, where they would fall to North Andrew.