Platte Valley girls use strong defense for sectionals win

By Morgan Guyer

The Platte Valley Girls Basketball Team defeated St. Joseph Christian, 41-28, in front of a packed-house at Jefferson High School on February 26.

Coming into the game against St. Joseph Christian, Platte Valley beat Nodaway Valley 45-41 on February 23 to capture the district title. Platte Valley has been without one of their best players for a good portion of the season, as Senior Brylie Angle is recovering from a torn ACL. The loss hasn’t slowed down the team however, as they sit at 27-1 on the season, and will face off against Pattonsburg on March 1 with a trip to the final four in Columbia on the line.

PV opened the game against the Lions with some poor shooting overall, but their lockdown defense was able to make things difficult for St. Joseph Christian. The Lions made just two field goals in the first half, as Platte Valley took a 22-7 lead into the locker room. Platte Valley kept a double digit lead for much of the second half, but some hot shooting propelled St. Joseph Christian, as they were able to cut the lead to seven in the fourth quarter. PV needed some clutch free throw shooting to help close out the game, and they got it, as the team made six straight late in the game to extend the lead; putting it out of reach for the Lions.