Second-half struggles sink Raytown South boys in Missouri Class 4 quarterfinal loss

Raytown South entered Saturday’s Missouri boys basketball playoff game in hopes of becoming the first Class 4 team to beat St. Joseph Lafayette this season.

Instead, injuries and a cold-shooting fourth quarter ended Raytown South’s season with a 57-42 loss in the Missouri Class 4 state quarterfinal.

Raytown South lost junior forward Sh’Keil McDowell to injury in the first half, then went on a six-plus-minute stretch of the third and fourth quarters where the Cardinals only made two shots from the field. During that time, Lafayette turned a game that was tied at 28 into a 46-32 advantage.

The Cardinals couldn’t make one more run down the stretch.

“McDowell had really affected the rim early in the game, because they are quick off the dribble, and we were able to stick to shooters on defense,” Raytown South coach Aaron Ihm said. “Once we lost that ability to protect with his injury and some foul trouble to our other post players, we were just a step slower and they made us pay for it.”

Raytown South kept the game at a methodical pace in the first half, leading early, then trailing 19-16 at halftime. The tempo switched in the second half when Lafayette sped up things — to their liking.

“When you get down to a team like Lafayette that is basically five guards who can pass, shoot and protect the rim, it’s a huge uphill climb,” Ihm said. “And when you’re limited by injuries and gassed, there’s only so many things that can happen.”

Sophomore Diego Bernard scored 23 points for Lafayette, 27-3, which has only lost to one team from Missouri this season.

Jamar Madge had 11 points to pace Raytown South, which ended its season 17-12.

This story was originally published March 12, 2016 at 10:37 PM with the headline "Second-half struggles sink Raytown South boys in Missouri Class 4 quarterfinal loss."