Platte County senior Joslyn Hupp was the Lady Pirates’ leading scorer and rebounder in the winter, averaging 9.8 points and grabbing 6.6 boards.
En route to winning more games than the previous two seasons combined, the Platte County girls’ basketball team stole the spotlight last winter.
With the hiring of Eric Mitchell as the head coach, Platte County entered a new era and it showed. Having failed to win more games than lost in each of the last three years, the Lady Pirates finally ended the drought in 2023 with an 18-9 record.
In the first year being in the White Division of the Kansas City Suburban Conference, Platte County won five of the nine conference contests. From 2019-2021, Platte County compiled a 9-23 conference record, so that is quite a step in the right direction.
Not counting the competitive Winnetonka Invitational to start the season when the Lady Pirates lost two out of three, they started off 6-0 and won eight of the first nine regular season games. The back half of the regular season was streaky for Platte County as it never won or lost more than two in a row.
Chandavian Bradley stuffed the stats sheet this season, leading the Pirates basketball team in nearly every category.
Entering the postseason with momentum – defeating North Kansas City and Oak Park in the final two games ahead of time – Platte County clinched the No. 3 seed in the Class 5 District 8 Tournament. In the first two games, the Lady Pirates’ defense held their opponents to less than 30 points to make it to the district championship.
After beating Winnetonka 39-29 in the opening round, Platte County beat St. Teresa’s Academy 36-24 in the district semifinals. It was a matchup between the top-2 seeds in the district championship when Platte County took on Lincoln College Prep.
The game was tight and went down to the wire when some costly Platte County turnovers in the final minute resulted in a 42-37 loss. The senior duo of Joslynn Hupp and Reese Pickett were the two leading scorers and will be missed after laying the foundation for the program turning around.
Jake Fernandez claimed another state medal, being the third place wrestler in the 215-weight class in the Class 3 State Tournament.
The Platte County boys lacked the success it has had in the past, having its first single-digit win total since 2019. The 2022 senior class was talented and played most of the minutes in the previous two years – when Platte County went 42-11 in that stretch – so this year’s squad had less experienced players going in.
Senior big man Chandavian Bradley started in his junior season and was the most reliable Pirate in 2023. He averaged 16 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 2.5 steals, all of which led the team.
Platte County ended the winter with an 8-18 record, while averaging 53.3 points per game and allowing 56.5 points. The Pirates lost the final seven games of the year, including a 61-60 postseason defeat to Van Horn.
The Pirates had a strong outing during the wrestling season but lacked hardware at state. Without any senior boy qualifiers, there was only one medalist.
Jake Fernandez earned a bronze medal in the 215-weight class, ending his junior campaign with a 49-5 record. This is the second time he has earned all-state honors as his six teammates who made it to state missed out on the podium but will be back next season.
Lily Brower was the only all-state Lady Pirate wrestler, earning a bronze medal in the 115-weight class.
For the first time in MSHSAA history, there were two classes of girl wrestlers. Lily Brower was the only Lady Pirate to walk away as an all-state wrestler this year, taking third place in the 115-weight class.
In the pool, the Lady Pirates’ swimming team made a splash at state, finishing in 16th place out of 38 teams. Brooklynn Hays had the best individual outing for Platte County as the junior was the sixth fastest 100-yard breaststroker in the state, completing the event in 1:09.12.