After spilling off nine straight victories, the Platte County boys’ basketball team (17-3) has been brought back to Earth with a rare loss as the Pirates fell to Lafayette (11-6) on Feb. 10.
After spilling off nine straight victories, the Platte County boys’ basketball team (17-3) has been brought back to Earth with a rare loss as the Pirates fell to Lafayette (11-6) on Feb. 10.
In a 32:00 battle, the tone was set early with an intense back-and-forth first quarter ending with Parker Amos sinking a shot from deep and giving Platte County a 14-13 advantage. A 3-point play by Chandavian Bradley on the Pirates’ second possession of the ensuing quarter sparked a 10 to zero run.
After Lafayette finally scored a basket, Jarett Mueller made a pair of shots from downtown on consecutive possessions – one of which he was fouled on and he converted a free throw to complete the 4-point play. The Pirates went into the locker room with a 34-29 margin, but the Fighting Irish didn’t go away.
Lafayette fought its way back in the third quarter – despite never taking the lead – and narrowed the gap to one point entering the final quarter. The first basket of the fourth period went to the home team as the Fighting Irish went up for the first time since the opening quarter and the next few minutes the teams matched baskets.
Platte County trailed 61-57 right past the midway point and Mueller sank three free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt. Bradley followed that by scoring a 2-point bucket to give the Pirates a 64-63 advantage.
The Fighting Irish went back on top 65-64 late, and the Pirates missed a pair of shots from behind the arc in the final minutes to potentially regain the lead. After Lafayette missed the front end of a one and one free throw, Isaac Havemeier misfired a 3-pointer with right over one remaining and Brody Fulk missed a potential go-ahead on the ensuing possession.
Lafayette added another free throw before Platte County turned the ball over and was forced to foul, sending the Fighting Irish back to the charity stripe where they added two more points. Although the Pirates led by as much as 12 points, Lafayette pulled off the upset and won 70-64.
Mueller made four shots from downtown, giving him a team-high 20 points. Bradley finished with 11 points and nine rebounds, while Jace Trimble had 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Platte County will have two regular season games left ahead of the Class 5 District 8 Tournament – where the Pirates have locked in the No. 1 seed for the second consecutive season – starting with Smithville (17-5) on Feb. 22. The Pirates will finish the regular season at home, hosting Belton (10-12) on Feb. 24.