The last time Platte County suffered a loss it came at the hands of Kearney.
Since then, the Pirates were red hot but stumbled in a Suburban Conference Blue rematch against the Bulldogs on the road Monday, Feb. 12, falling 83-39.
Platte County had won six in a row entering the contest but couldn’t overcome the Bulldogs coming out of the gate hot and took a 33-7 lead. Abby Couch hit four 3-pointers and 6-foot-4 center Callie Schwarzenbach had eight points for Kearney, ranked No. 10 in the latest Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Class 4 poll.
At the break, Kearney led 54-16 against the Pirates.
Platte County received 13 points from Rockey Chambers, while Stephanie Carroll added seven.
Four players scored in double figures for the Bulldogs led by Couch’s 18. Schwarzenbach — a Nebraska volleyball signee — and Emma Couch had 14 each, while Grace Burkemper had 13.
Blue Springs South 49, Park Hill 44
The visiting Jaguars spoiled senior night by holding off a late rally by the Trojans on Monday, Feb. 12, at Park Hill High School in Kansas City, Mo.
Park Hill freshman guard Jadyen Dorrell chases after a loose ball during a game Wednesday, Feb. 7, against Raymore-Peculiar.
Blue Springs South held a slim 14-11 after the first quarter but pulled away thanks to a 19-9 scoring advantage in the second quarter.
Down 33-20 at the break, the Trojans outscored the Jaguars in the Suburban Conference Gold showdown, but couldn’t overcome the double-digit deficit. Park Hill shot nearly 50 percent from the field on two-point baskets — 12 for 25 — but missed all seven of its 3-pointers. Meanwhile, the Jaguars hit 10 3-pointers — seven from Kaylee Connors, who had a game-high 22 points.
Hannah Graves led Park Hill with 17 points, while Tayia Shelby had 11 and Teresa Thomas chipped in with 10.
Platte County 78, Grandview 51
The Pirates scored a season-high in points and dominated the visiting Bulldogs on Thursday, Feb. 8, at Platte County High School.
Hannah Valentine scored a season-high 28 points and went a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line.
Platte County and Grandview were locked into a close battle after the first game minutes, with the Pirates holding a slim 22-18 lead. The Pirates led 40-23 at the break and rolled up another 23 points in the third quarter.
Eight players scored for the Pirates. Lauren Walker had 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Jaycie Stubbs had seven points and eight assists, while Stephanie Carroll and Meghan Amos had nine points each.
From the field, the Pirates shot nearly 50 percent — 49.1 percent — and hit 54.2 percent of their two-point shots. Platte County had 28 points off turnovers and tallied 50 points in the paint.
Blue Springs 53, Park Hill 51
The Trojans and Wildcats were tied in the final seconds but two free throws by Reggie Kangawa lifted the visitors to a win on Thursday, Feb. 8, at Park Hill High School in Kansas City, Mo.
Kangawa hit two free throws with 1.1 left and the BYU softball signee finished with 16 points.
The contest was one that Park Hill led, fell behind, tied it and then led again.
The Trojans held a 20-13 advantage after the first quarter but trailed 33-31 after the Wildcats rallied. Park Hill then came back in the third with 13 points and led 44-41 going into the fourth.
Senior Taiya Shelby led Park Hill with 19 points and went 8-for-9 from the free throw line. Freshman Jayden Dorrell added eight and hit two 3s.
Two other players finished in double figures for Blue Springs. Sy’Maiah Smith had 12 and Alyiah Bello scored 10.
Park Hill 46, Raymore-Peculiar 39
The Trojans built an early lead and then held off multiple comebacks from the visiting Panthers on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at Park Hill High School in Kansas City, Mo.
At one point in the first quarter, the Trojans led by 10 and took a 13-4 lead after the first eight minutes. The lead grew to as high as 17-4 following a steal and layup from senior Taiya Shelby.
Within minutes, Ray-Pec had pulled within 17-14 thanks to a run by Shelby Martinez, who scored six points in a row and accounted for 10 of her 12 in the frame. Following two free throws from Cassie Kruse, Ray-Pec trailed 21-19 with 14 seconds to go in the second quarter.
Park Hill freshman Avery Mertz drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the Trojans into the break leading 24-19.
Ray-Pec pulled within a point early in the third quarter, but a 3-pointer by freshman Jayden Dorrell gave the Trojans some breathing room again with 4 ½ minutes to play. Ray-Pec kept battling and twice pulled within a point, but each time the Trojans answered. A layup from Hannah Graves with 13.1 seconds left in the third took a one-possession lead and gave Park Hill a 33-28 lead going into the fourth.
The Trojans (6-14 after the win) built a pair of 7-point leads in the fourth but Ray-Pec (11-10 following the loss) kept battling back. The latest came on a bucket by Kruse — who had a team-high 13 points — that made it 43-39.
Two free throws from Mertz with 34.9 left sealed the win for the Trojans — which picked up a second win in four games.
“Our kids have a hard time being consistent and that is just the learning experience,” Park Hill coach Aaron Neeser said. “We are on game 20 and nothing comes easy for us, but I think that is how this group likes it. I was happy we pushed through it, stuck together, trusted the game plan and pulled out the win. I will take a win any day of the week to learn something and feel good about themselves.”
Shelby finished with a career-high 23 points in the win.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Shelby, who previous career-high was 19 points. “We had to keep through. We needed another win. We have been learning to push through and today it was in our favor.”
Lee’s Summit North 52, Park Hill 42
The Trojans led at halftime but fell behind in the third quarter and never recovered in a loss on Monday, Feb. 5 to the Broncos in Lee’s Summit, Mo.
Park Hill took a 20-18 lead into the break before Lee’s Summit North busted out for 23 points in the third quarter, taking a 41-33 lead.
Lee’s Summit North made one more field goal, one more 3-pointer and three more free throws than the Trojans, which essentially boiled down to being the difference.
The Broncos had 10 steals and had 12 points off turnovers, while the Trojans committed 23 turnovers and had eight points off Lee’s Summit North turnovers.
Taiya Shelby led Park Hill with 13 points, while Teresa Thomas had seven points and 10 rebounds.
Lee’s Summit North had three players in double figures, led by Aiyana Johnson’s 18.