West Platte junior Jonah McGivern goes up for a layup against Plattsburg in the Bishop LeBlond Holiday Tournament Championship on Dec. 29.
SAINT JOSEPH – In the first year being placed in the Bishop LeBlond Holiday Basketball Tournament, West Platte was the runner-up in both the boys’ and girls’ brackets on Dec. 29.
Typically, West Platte plays a regular season game a week or so before Christmas and doesn’t have another scheduled contest until after the New Year. That changed this year with an impressive outing for both teams.
The West Platte boys’ basketball team (6-5) found its groove, winning three games in a row prior to the championship game against Plattsburg (10-2). The Tigers have been one of the best teams in the area as of late and have now beat the Blue Jays four straight times.
Following a pair of double-digit losses in regular season play to Plattsburg last season, West Platte put up a fight in the last two matchups. After losing by six points in the 2023 Class 2 District 15 Championship, the Blue Jays used a similar blueprint to try and take down the reigning Class 2 Third-Place Team.
West Platte opened up leading 10-6 in the first quarter before Plattsburg tied it up ahead of the second quarter. The Blue Jays led by one at the break and after Will Shafter scored seven straight for them in the third quarter, the game was tied at 39 with eight minutes to play.
Plattsburg slowly pulled away late and won 63-55. Drake Montez and Miles McHenry made the all-tournament team.
The Blue Jays pulled out their opening game of the tournament with a 39-26 win over Nodaway Valley (6-5) on Dec. 27. West Platte advanced to the championship with a tight 47-46 victory over Savannah (4-5) on Dec. 28.
The girls’ bracket in the tournament was different than the boys’, having pool play for the first two games to decide who will play on the final day depending on records at Bishop LeBlond High School. West Platte (4-6) matched up with Nodaway Valley (11-2) for the first game on Dec. 27.
Setting the tone early with a 17-10 first quarter margin and 31-19 halftime lead, the Lady Blue Jays cruised to a 56-48 win. West Platte shot 50 percent from deep and 48.9 percent from the field.
Julia Pattison erupted for a career-high 27 points on an efficient 11-of-13 shooting, making her only 3-point attempt. She also grabbed eight rebounds, dished out three assists and forced three steals.
West Platte dominated in the next game, defeating North Andrew (4-5) 49-18 on Dec. 28. The Lady Blue Jays moved on to the championship to take on Bishop LeBlond (10-1) on Dec. 29.
For the sixth straight time since 1994, the Lady Eagles came out on top over the Lady Blue Jays, 42-35. West Platte trailed 21-13 at the break and fought back within one point at the end of the third quarter but only scored six fourth quarter points.
Sam Baker earned a spot on the all-tournament team – along with Pattison – after recording 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting and three steals. Blair McHenry and Avery Holmes both had nine points on the night.
West Platte will be back at it looking for a win in KCI Conference play at Penney on Jan. 5. The girls will play at 6:30 and the boys will play at 8 p.m.