KEARNEY, Mo. — Platte County dominated the first half and cruised to a 62-37 victory over St. Joseph Lafayette in the fifth-place game of the Bulldog Classic at Kearney High School.
The Pirates closed the first quarter on an 8-0 run and led 20-5 after the opening frame against the Fighting Irish. Amaya Blake scored nine of her 14 points for Platte County in the first 8 minutes, scoring four of the final eight during the run.
The lead grew to as many as 23 points in the second quarter following two free throws from Joslyn Hupp. Four other players combined for the other 13 points, which gave the Pirates a 35-10 lead over Lafayette.
“We played them even in the second half but we were down 25 in the first half,” Lafayette coach Brad Spinner said. “We weren’t ready to play and we came out flat.”
Lafayette, which lost to Platte County earlier this season, outscored them in the third quarter by one point. Both teams finished with 27 points in the second half.
CODY THORN/Citizen photo
Platte County’s Joslyn Hupp, a freshman, goes up for a shot against St. Joseph Lafayette during the fifth-place game on Saturday, Jan. 18 in the Bulldog Classic in Kearney. Platte County won 62-37.
“Anytime you come to a tournament you want to come out with at least two wins,” Platte County coach Becca Strobbe said. “We had a really good practice on Thursday and I think it carried over.”
Addi Long led the Pirates in scoring with 15. Freshman Peyton Akins tallied six points and was the team’s lone all-tournament selection.
“She is still learning,” Strobbe said of Akins. “She has a high ceiling and we are working on fundamentals. She had a very, very good tournament for sure.”
Modesta Wilhelmsen scored 16 points to pace Lafayette’s offense and all came in the second half. Five other players combined for five other baskets for the Irish (1-12).
Platte County 59, KC Southeast 54
A strong first half made the difference in this consolation bracket meeting between the Pirates and Knights on Wednesday, Jan. 15.
The Knights outscored the Pirates 31-26 in the second half but couldn’t overcome the 10-point halftime deficit. Platte County led 14-8 after the first quarter before Peyton Akins got hot in the second quarter.
The freshman hit a pair of shots and made all four field goals to account for nine of Platte County’s 19 points. Addi Long added six to help Platte County take a 33-23 lead into the break.
Amaya Blake dominated the second half for Platte County, scoring 21 of the team’s 26 points. Only two other players added a basket during the final two quarters. Blake made five of her six baskets in the third quarter, but struggled at the free-throw line, hitting only 9 of 18 attempts.
Maizen Williams scored 19 points to lead Southeast’s offense.
Chillicothe girls 54, Platte County 48
The Pirates took an early lead, up 14-8, after the first quarter but the Hornets outscored them the next three quarters in an opening round game of the Kearney Invitational on Monday, Jan. 13.
Platte County trailed 27-24 at halftime after Hunter Keithley outscored the Pirates, 11-10, in the second.
She finished with 22 points, including going 17-for-18 from the free-throw line.
Freshman Peyton Akins scored 17 points to lead the offense for Platte County. Amaya Blake also finished in double figures, scoring 12.
Up next
In a weird scheduling fluke, Platte County and Lafayette were slated to play again on Tuesday, Jan. 21, for the third time this season, but it was canceled earlier in the day due to weather. Strobbe’s Pirates play host to Lee’s Summit on Thursday, Jan. 23, with a chance to improve on their 5-7 record.