With 4:46 remaining in regulation on Dec. 14, the West Platte boys’ basketball team (6-2) was on the verge of its first home loss of the season.
West Platte trailed Hogan Prep Academy Charter (1-4) 51-41 with the clock ticking and an offensive scoring drought. Ryan Pattison and Charlie Kinslow stepped up when it mattered the most - combining for 22 points for the rest of the contest - and lifted the Blue Jays to a 68-64 overtime victory over the Class 5 opponent.
“I looked up and we were down by 10, but these kids just never stop fighting,” West Platte head coach Tyler Funk said. “I’m proud of them, and we have a lot of things we need to work on, but an ugly win is better than a pretty loss.”
The West Platte duo started the double-digit comeback when they both sunk a pair of free throws with just under four minutes left in the fourth quarter. The Blue Jays didn’t score their first field goal of the period until there was 3:15 remaining when Pattison scored a layup, which narrowed the deficit 51-45.
Ryan Pattison, above, finished with a team-high 19 points against Hogan Prep Academy Charter on Dec. 14.
The senior guard tied the Raiders at 52 with his sixth made shot at the charity stripe on the night when the clock had 1:24 left. Hogan Prep immediately responded with a 3-pointer to regain the lead and after a West Platte timeout, Kinslow sunk a shot from downtown with 31 seconds remaining to force overtime.
“Charlie was big tonight and I think he’ll be the first to tell you that he struggled a little bit early with some turnovers and missed shots, but he hit some big shots down the stretch and he’s always going to do that. If there’s one thing about Charlie Kinslow, it’s that he is always going to play hard - and the game rewards hard work - so I’m glad to see that he hit some big shots,” Funk said.
The Raiders struck first in the extra period and led by four points with less than 90 seconds to go, but the Blue Jays refused to go down without a fight once again. Mason Montez and Kinslow scored back-to-back layups with a pair of 3-point chance opportunities after getting fouled.
Although they were both unable to convert on the free throws, Kinslow rebounded his miss and drew a foul to return to the charity stripe, tied at 64 with less than a minute on the clock. The junior came up clutch once again – converting on both attempts – and West Platte took a 66-64 lead.
Hogan Prep had a few more opportunities to extend the game, but came up short, and Pattison iced the game with two more made free throws to secure the 68-64 win. Pattison finished with 19 points and Kinslow ended with 17 points and West Platte was able to remain unbeaten at its home court.
“Hopefully, this gives them experience for later in the season. We’ve been in a couple of overtime games and close games so far, and we’ve been learning how to manage those, but there’s still a lot to get better at,” Funk said.
The Blue Jays kept the momentum going on Dec. 17 when they headed to Penney High School and came out on top over the Hornets (3-4) 73-61. West Platte will have a little time off during Christmas break until its next game when the Blue Jays host Northland Christian on Jan. 4.