Platte County had a little bit of rust playing for the first time in two weeks.
The Pirates got behind early and never recovered in an 81-45 loss against Raytown South, ranked No. 2 in Class 4, during a Suburban Conference Blue Division showdown on Friday, Jan. 3 at Platte County High School.
The loss was the third straight for Platte County, following setbacks against Truman and Grain Valley as well. The three teams that have beaten the Pirates are a combined 23-5.
Platte County (3-4, 0-2 Blue) were tied at 2-2 and 4-4 against the Cardinals, a Class 4 playoff qualifier last year, before a 9-0 run followed.
Raytown South then closed the first quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 22-6 lead.
Within the opening minutes of the second quarter, Raytown South (8-0, 2-0) grabbed a 30-10 lead.
Platte County’s Jaden Burnett (14) looks to pass the ball to a teammate while going out of bounds during a game against Raytown South on Friday, Jan. 3 at Platte County high school.
Cody Thorn/Citizen photo
Platte County didn’t get back-to-back baskets in the contest until Joey Schultz scored late in the second quarter, which made it 40-20. Jaden Burnett then scored in the final seconds for Platte County, making it 40-22 at the break.
The 6-0 run was matched later in the third quarter when Brody Fulk hit a 3-pointer and Jarrett Mueller had a three-point play.
Raytown South led 67-39 going into the final quarter.
Schultz finished with 11 points, while Fulk had nine for Platte County. Nine different players cracked the scoring column as Rick Hodge went deep into his bench.
Three players scored in double figures for Raytown South, led by 26 from Mark Cann. Dezmond McKinney added 16, while Keltez Simmons chipped in with 10.
The win was the seventh straight vs. the Pirates, dating back to 2017.
Up Next
The Pirates played at Winnetonka on Tuesday, Jan. 7, but the results were not available by press time. Platte County then plays at home against Class 4 No. 10-ranked Grandview on Friday, Jan. 10, before taking on Blue Springs at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 14 in the Kearney Classic.