Three Rivers will look to shake off a tough loss at State Fair as the Raiders kick off a three-game homestand on Saturday with a tilt against Mineral Area. The Cardinals, ranked 14th in the nation, come into the game with a 14-3 record winning their last 12 games — most recently a 100-43 blowout over Southeastern Illinois. “Mineral Area is a really well coached team,” Raiders coach Brian Bess said. “They run good stuff and they have a lot of talent on their team.”
The Raiders (8-8) fell to 0-3 in region play Wednesday with a 70-65 loss at State Fair. Three Rivers fell to 3-6 in games decided by single digits, losing all three region games by a total of 13 points. “Rebounding is something we struggled with in that game and our defense was poor in the second half,” Bess said. “We’re emphasizing defense in practice the next few days and we were able to hold State Fair in the first half, but fell apart in the second half.”
The Raider defense will have their work cut out for them as Mineral Area has a couple of players averaging double figures, led by Jamir Price at 14.2 points per contest followed by Keonte Jones averaging 12.5 points. Three Rivers with their big three in Lamar Wilkerson (17.6 points per game), Keith Kiner (16.6) and Kinyon Hodges (12.0) offensively while Paul Greene leads the team in rebounds at 8.0 per game. Wednesday at State Fair, the Raiders were shorthanded as Samuel Taulapiu and Jack Below didn’t make the trip due to illness. Both players tested negative for COVID19 according to Bess.
The Three Rivers women’s team had its game Saturday postponed due to a positive COVID-19 case within the Lincoln Trail program. It’s the second straight game postponed for the second-ranked Raiders, who will next host Crowder at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 15. Prior to Saturday’s men’s game at the Libla Family Sports Complex, a few high school teams will play on Gene Bess Court starting at 11:30 a.m. with Kennett and Campbell girls followed by Neelyville and Rector (Ark.) girls at 1 p.m. before a boys game at 2:30 p.m. between South Pemiscot and Woodland. The Raiders and Cardinals will tip off at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Robert Augsdorfer - Daily American Republic