KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jaycie Stubbs used words such as “Cinderella” and “underdog” to describe her team’s most recent victory. And her father, Pirates coach Chris Stubbs, called the matchup a win-win situation, regardless of the result.
Fortunately for the Platte County girls basketball squad, that result was a positive one, a 44-42 nonleague victory over Park Hill on Thursday, Jan. 31 at Park Hill High School.
It was Platte County’s first victory over the Trojans since the 2010-11 season.
“Coach talked to us about having fun and doing our best because we were the underdog in this game,” said Jaycie Stubbs, a senior guard who led the Pirates with 16 points. “Yeah, it’s been awhile. … We embraced the underdog role and we were really happy with (the win).”
“I know we lost a real controversial one down here on a three-second shot, we were up two and they counted it,” Coach Stubbs said. “There was a game where I got kicked out a few years ago and they beat us in overtime. There have been some close games.”
CODY THORN/Citizen photo
Platte County’s Jaycie Stubbs is surrounded by Park Hill defenders Jayden Dorrell (left), Kennedy Townsend (center) and Teresa Thomas (right) during a game on Thursday, Jan. 31 in Kansas City.
The Pirates notched the win, improving to 10-7 at the time, with a strong fourth quarter from Jaycie Stubbs, who recently eclipsed 1,000 career points. Stubbs scored seven in the final frame, including a big 3-pointer to give the Pirates a 39-36 lead with 5:50 left, a lead Platte County held on to the rest of the way.
“I didn’t realize how big of a deal it was until my dad started talking to me about it,” Jaycie Stubbs said of the milestone. “For him to get his 200 wins and me to get my 1,000 points in one season was pretty cool. It was definitely a special moment.”
Park Hill, however, had its chances late. They cut the lead to 42-41 on Jordan Austin’s bucket under the basket on an out-of-bounds play with 18.6 remaining. After a Platte County timeout and a Trojan foul, Jaycie Stubbs sunk two freebies with 11.8 left. The Trojans had one final chance when the Pirates fouled Jayden Dorrell from beyond the arc with 1.5 remaining, but Dorrell went 1-for-3 on foul shots to end the contest.
“We really didn’t want to foul the shooter there at the end, but I thought Jaycie played really well,” Coach Stubbs said. “She stepped up and I thought Shayla (Kohler, who scored six points) had a great game.”
“Anytime you lose at home it’s frustrating,” Park Hill coach Aaron Neeser said. “We talk to the kids about being consistent, we’re just having a hard time to put together. … I’m proud of our kids’ efforts, I’m proud of when things got ugly they kept it in and played through a tough time, they just made one more play than we did.”
Amaya Blake tallied 11 points and made one deep ball for the Pirates. Kennedy Townsend led the Trojans with nine points, while Avery Mertz chipped in eight.
Following the contest, Coach Stubbs confirmed that the team’s leading scorer, senior Hannah Valentine would not return after learning her injury required ACL surgery.
“We had to stop running as much with our transition game down a little bit,” Jaycie Stubbs said. “But we’ve had to learn to work better as a team and move to different roles and try new things.”
Platte County 53, Winnetonka 41
The Pirates kept up their winning ways with a Suburban Blue home victory over Winnetonka on Thursday, Jan. 31.
Platte County’s victory meant a three-game winning streak for the program before it was snapped on Monday by way of a 43-23 league loss at Smithville.
The Pirates host Liberty North in nonleague play at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6.
The Trojans, who bounced back with a 51-46 league win at Lee’s Summit North on Monday, Feb. 4, play host to Raymore-Peculiar in non-divisional action on Thursday, Feb. 7.
Park Hill South 46, Blue Springs South 44
NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After a loss in the opener, Park Hill South regrouped with two wins to take fifth in the North Kansas City Invitational.
The Panthers capped the tourney with a narrow victory over Blue Springs South on Friday, Feb. 1 at North Kansas City High School.
It was Park Hill South’s second victory over the Jaguars this season, the first coming in a 53-39 result in the Winnetonka Tournament on Nov. 29.
Jaidynn Mason, a freshman guard, converted six 3-pointers on her way to a game-high 20 points. Senior forward Alecia Westbrook added 10 points for the Panthers, who overcome a rough three-point second quarter.
Park Hill South got off to a good start, as it led 19-11 after the first quarter. Blue Springs South pounced with a 20-3 second quarter to lead 31-22 at the break.
The Panthers returned the favor in the third frame, holding the Jaguars to four points to knot the score at 35-35 headed into the fourth quarter.
Mason scored a trio of field goals and DQ Guillory scored the other four points in the final frame.
Park Hill South 54, St. Pius X 45
The Panthers held off St. Pius X in the second half of a North Kansas City consolation contest on Wednesday, Jan. 30 at North Kansas City High School.
Park Hill South, playing in the consolation round after being dealt a 55-52 opening-round loss to Schlagle, held the Warriors to just six points in the first two quarters, giving the Panthers a 31-12 advantage at halftime.
But Pius rallied in the second half, cutting the lead to 37-24 after the third quarter and nearly completing the comeback in the fourth. The Warriors out-scored Park Hill South 12-6 and 21-16 in the final two frames, respectively.
Mason played a role in holding off Pius, scoring seven of her team-high 11 points in the final frame, five coming from the free throw line.
Brooke Jones also converted five freebies in the final frame. She finished with 10 points and so did Addison Howe. DQ Guillory and Westbrook contributed nine points apiece.
Park Hill South 43, Liberty 42
The Panthers grabbed sole possession of first place in the Suburban Red with a league victory over Liberty on Monday, Feb. 4 at Park Hill South High School.
“It was a defensive battle all game,” Panthers coach Josh Dorr said. “We made adjustments and took care of the ball. We kept the turnovers low and the girls stayed focused.”
It was Park Hill South’s third straight win and sixth victory in its past seven contests. Also, the Panthers (16-3, 6-1) avenged their lone league loss of the season after a 44-41 loss at Liberty back on Jan. 4.
Westbrook led all scorers with 22 points. The Texas A&M Corpus-Christi signee was 9-for-10 from the free throw line and had one trey. Mason added 15 points and one deep ball for the Panthers.
The Blue Jays (17-4, 6-2), who brought in a four-game winning streak, led 14-12 after the first quarter before trailing 25-24 at the break. Then they held a 36-35 advantage prior to coming up short in the final frame.
The Panthers return to Suburban Red action at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8, at Staley.