Coach: Chris Neff
Record: 24-4
Key players: Xavier Kurth (16 ppg, 6.8 rpg), Billy Cook (10.3 ppg)
The Lafayette Fighting Irish were the #1 team in Class 4 last season, before they were upset by Liberty North in the state sectionals. Liberty North went on to the semifinals, where Republic beat them in a thriller on the way to the state championship.
For a year, Lafayette harbored hopes of revenge, and the Fighting Irish got it in a 53-41 win over Liberty North in this year’s sectionals. Now they’re on a mission to reclaim the top spot in Class 4. Their next test comes in the semifinals against Farmington.
I talked to Lafayette head coach Chris Neff about his team, and here are some of the highlights:
On leading scorer Xavier Furth:
“Xavier’s been in our varsity program since he entered high school. I think he started six games as a freshman. We went to the final four his freshman year in 2011 and took 4th. He’s a pretty special player for us.
“He’s an inside-out threat that doesn’t exist all the time at the high school level. He’s able to score a few twos and he lives at the foul line, and he shoots the ball pretty well, so he’s pretty threatening. He signed in November to play for Northwest Missouri State University. He’s probably the best player I’ve had at Lafayette in the seven years that I’ve been here.
“He was really bad in the sectional game last year, and spent about the entire year thinking about that game, and thinking or hoping for an opportunity to be in that game again. He had 18 in the 1st half against Liberty North in the sectional this year, so I think he righted some wrongs.”
On shooting guard Billy Cook:
“He’s a lot of the reason we’re going to the final four. We played really, really well this past weekend, and beat what I thought was one of the best teams in the state in Grandview. They’re fantastic, and that was their first loss to anybody in Missouri all year.
“They were a little unaware of who Billy is, and he’s a shooter. He hit five threes in the first quarter, another one in the second, and that’s what he’s capable of. He’s a really good shooter and has a really good mind for the game. He’s got a really high basketball IQ, and in the sectional round, he was our best defender. Locked up a perimeter player and kept them from ever putting the ball into the post. They had two of the better post players in the state, and we just did a really good job on the perimeter and Billy was a catalyst for that.”
On senior Cody Massey:
“Cody Massey has signed to play football at Northwest Missouri State. He’s a wide receiver. He’s probably the best athlete in our building. He’s the best defender we probably have, whether it be the perimeter or some wingmen who step inside the paint.
“He’s shot the three awful well this year. He’s just been very solid. He’s very sound fundamentally. He has a lot to do with our success in a lot of ways.”
On his team’s effective role players:
“About six weeks ago, (Gary Wilkinson and Riley McKay) start moving into the starting lineup. They just kind of earned their way in. Chester Goudeau is a junior for us that started every game as a sophomore, and the first ten games of this season. We just kind of went another direction and brought Chester off the bench, which has been really good for us. Chester can really score the ball and starting these other guards kind of gets the rotation going a little better.
“Gary’s our third leading scorer now. He’s doing really well for a sophomore guard. He distributes the ball well, gets into the lane and makes nice passes. Shoots the three well. I think he’s had 11 points the last eight games — right on the dot, every game. You open the book: 11, every single night.
“And then Riley McKay is just a glue guy. He’s not going to turn it over, he’s not going to take anyone else’s shots. He’s going to defend and rebound and take charges and get loose balls. He’s that kid. A lot of people will watch us play, I’m sure, that are common to average fans, and say ‘Why does he start over him?’ A lot of reasons people don’t understand — he’s going to do things that other kids won’t do.