‘They’re just really good’: Raiders learn firsthand why Blue Devils are among state’s top-ranked teams

QUINCY — There wasn’t much Quincy Notre Dame’s Beau Etink could say about the Raiders’ crosstown counterparts other than the painstakingly obvious.

“It’s quite simple. They’re just really good,” Eftink said.

The few words Eftink used to describe the state-ranked Quincy High School boys basketball team couldn’t have been more accurate.

After a relatively back-and-forth first quarter, the Blue Devils scored the first 10 points of the second quarter and turned a four-point lead at the end of the first quarter into a 20-point advantage in what felt like the blink of an eye.

“That’s what they’re able to do with the athletes that they’ve got and the number of guys that can score,” QND coach Greg Altmix said. “We just had trouble matching up with them at times, and they can put it in the hole.”

The second-quarter surge lifted QHS to a 70-40 win in front of a packed house at Blue Devil Gym on Saturday night. The victory kept Quincy (9-0) undefeated, while QND dropped to 6-3 after suffering its third loss in the last four games. 

“This will be the best team we’ll play this year,” QND’s Jace Allensworth said..“There’s no team in (Class 2A) that would play close to these guys.”  

The Blue Devils, ranked second in Class 4A, outscored the Raiders 27-9 in the pendulum-swinging second frame and made 10 of 18 field goals, including 4 of 8 3-point shots. QHS guard Bradley Longcor III scored 13 of his game-high 25 points in the quarter and Blue Devils forward Keshaun Thomas added eight of his 12 points in the same quarter while adding insult to injury with a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer giving Quincy a 46-24 lead at the break.

QND certainly didn’t help itself with 12 first-half turnovers, which led to several easy baskets for the home team, including a trio of jaw-dropping dunks.

Altmix said offensive execution will be a point of emphasis as the Raiders head into the holiday break and the looming State Farm Holiday Classic in Bloomington/Normal, which starts with a first-round matchup against Aurora Christian on Dec. 26. 

“When you have four guys running one play and one guy running another, it’s almost impossible running an offense,” Altmix said. “We were struggling out there, trying to run an offense and weren’t executing the way we needed to.”

Allensworth was the lone Raider in double figures with 15 points. Eftink and Carter Miller added eight points apiece. QND shot 43.9 percent from the field (18 of 41) but struggled mightily from beyond the arc, making just 1 of 11 3-point attempts. The Raiders finished with 16 turnovers.

Despite the loss, Eftink says playing QHS will help in the long run.

“It definitely helps with our pace of play. (QHSl) definitely pushed us to move faster the whole time,” Eftink said. “If we can play at that speed the whole time, I feel like we can do really good against different teams.”

The lopsided setback ended QND’s feverish finish to the pre-holiday docket. The Raiders played five times in eight nights and finished with two wins (Southeastern and Camp Point Central) and three losses (Hannibal, Palmyra, and QHS).

A five-night break in the schedule is much needed, according to Altmix.

“As you get your legs back underneath you, you’re going to feel better, and you’re going to use these games to give our team confidence and hopefully then get something rolling,” he said. “I always feel that the end of January (or) beginning of February that’s when we really want to make sure that we’re rolling.”

Allensworth can sense something positive on the horizon.

“We’re putting the pieces together,” Allensworth said. “But we still got a lot to work on.”