Teresa Thomas knows this team is better than last year’s team.
The unselfishness of Park Hill was displayed in the second quarter of a 62-38 victory over Platte County on Thursday, Feb. 6 in Platte City.
The Trojans (13-7) had four players scored at least four points in the 22-point frame that gave the Trojans a commanding 39-21 lead over the Pirates (8-9).
“It feels like we are closer than we were, the bond we have, we are family no matter what,” said Thomas, who scored a team-high 16 points. “If we mess up, we all mess up. If you make a shot, we all make a shot. We all contribute.”
The Trojans gave up the first points of the third quarter but then rattled off a 9-0 run to give them a 23-point cushion. In the fourth quarter, the lead grew as large as 27 points.
CODY THORN/Citizen photo
Park Hill’s Teresa Thomas, left, shoots over Platte County defenders Addison Long (14) and Peyton Akins (4) during a game on Thursday, Feb. 6.
Park Hill is in line for its sixth winning season since 2010, but a few years ago the Trojans were 9-17 with a team mostly of freshmen and sophomores playing.
That is the boat that Platte County is in now and Park Hill coach Aaron Neeser said it was a ‘kind of a role reversal’ to be in the position of being the veteran-laden team.
That veteran presence showed up as Thomas and Guillory (10 points), both seniors, scored in double figures. While juniors Kennedy Townsend and Sam Bertoncino, three-year players, scored 12 each.
Only six players scored to rack up the 62 points for Park Hill, which had 10 or more points in every quarter.
“We were able to get out and play a little and push the tempo,” Neeser said. “That is what we like to do.”
The victory puts the Trojans one win away from matching last year’s win total with six games to play after this victory.
Last year, the Pirates won this game, 44-42, after Jaycie Stubbs hit a 3-pointer in the corner.
The win for Park Hill gave them an 8-7 lead in the series dating back to 2009.
“We took care of the lead,” Neeser said. “With conference play coming back, they could’ve blown it off but they didn’t.”
Sophomore Amaya Blake scored a game-high 22 for Platte County, getting 11 in each half.
OTHER GAMES
Winnetonka 55, Platte County 48
The Griffins scored 26 points in the fourth quarter to pick up a Suburban Conference Blue Division game on Friday, Feb. 7 in Kansas City North.
The win snapped a five-game losing streak for Winnetonka, which scored only 16 points the game prior against Grandview.
Amyah Davis scored 11 of her 23 points for the Griffins in the fourth. Platte County led 41-29 going into the final quarter, but scored only seven points on three baskets and a free throw in the final eight minutes.
Amaya Blake scored a team-high 16 points for the Pirates in the loss.
North Kansas City 38, Park Hill South 36
The Hornets rallied from a 9-point deficit in the final quarter to pick up a win in the fifth-place game at the North Kansas City Tournament on Friday, Feb. 7.
Park Hill South led 30-21 but were limited to three buckets in the final eight minutes. Ja’Mya Powell-Smith, a McDonald’s All-American nomimee, scored five of her game-high 20 points in the fourth, while two teammates had four points each in the rally.
Bali Cortes scored 12 and Makailee McGhee had 11 for the Panthers.
Park Hill South 49, F.L. Schlagle 43
The Panthers overcame a slow start and beat the Stallions in a consolation bracket game at the North Kansas City Invitational on Thursday, Feb. 6.
Schlagle, from Kansas City, Kan., took a 13-7 lead in the first quarter, but Park Hill South got six points from Makailee McGhee in the second quarter to surge ahead, 21-17.
Four different players had at least two points in the third quarter and Park Hill South led by eight going in the final quarter.
McGhee had 20 points, while Brooke Jones scored 10.
Platte County 58, Raytown South 23
The Pirates swept the season series with the Cardinals with a convincing win on Monday, Feb. 3 in Raytown.
Platte County scored 20 points in two different quarters and held the Cardinals without a point in the second quarter.
At halftime, Platte County led 32-8.
Amaya Blake scored 16 points, while Peyton Akins had 12 points. Nine different players scored for the Pirates.
Up Next
Park Hill South: The Panthers will close the season with four conference games over an 11-day span and all at home. Staley visits on Friday, Nov. 14, followed by a home game against St. Joseph Central on Feb. 17.
Platte County: The Pirates played at Grandview on Tuesday, Feb. 11 in a Suburban Conference Blue Division game. Results were not available by press time. Platte County travels to Liberty North on Wednesday, Feb. 12 before hosting Winnetonka on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
Park Hill: The Trojans finish a six-game road trip with contests at Ray-Pec on Thurday, Feb. 13 and then at Blue Springs on Monday, Feb. 17.