It took almost two minutes for anyone to score in Friday's home basketball game, but when the first points were dropped, they came courtesy of Three Rivers sophomore Matt Hampton via free throw shots giving the Raiders an early 2-0 lead, en route to a 82-70 victory.

"We've just been keeping the main thing the main thing," said Three Rivers' Antonio Williams. "We come in to every game prepared, and we go through a lot of stuff. We practice hard, so as the game comes, everything just flows."

Following Hampton's free throws, Northeastern Oklahoma scored their first basket from 3-point range, courtesy of Keyne Costa, followed by a shot from DaMario Adams putting themselves in front of Three Rivers 5-3.

The Raiders continued to battle, keeping pace with Northeastern Oklahoma, getting multiple shots from Williams and Hampton, which was later followed by a slam dunk from Williams, getting the Three Rivers crowd on its feet.

"We were just trying to simplify our offense," Williams said. "They kept giving me the shot, so coach [Robert] Kirby said knock it down, and we kept going to that play. Matt had another one of his nights. He was scoring, and doing what Matt Hampton does."

The Raiders kept themselves in front of Northeastern Oklahoma a majority of the first half until Landen Simington made a basket, putting his team up 29-27. However, following Simington's shot, the Raiders closed out the half on a 10-2 run going into halftime leading 37-31.

"We came out that second half and we ended up in the first half not flashing hard into the middle against the zone," Kirby said. "They [Northeastern Oklahoma] play that zone, and they're long, and they're big. They had their hands up, and it makes them tough."

The second half opened with Adams knocking down the first four baskets, which started an 9-0 run. Hampton was able to put a stop to their run with the Raiders first basket three and a half minutes into the action. Hampton had yet another basket soon after to tie the game at 43 points apiece.

"Matt is a tough cover," Kirby said. "He's a big strong guard. He can create his own shot."

The Raiders offense was able to take command with multiple players stepping up including Williams, Caleb Williams, Tristin Fleming, and Josiah Cotto all knocking down shots, widening the Raiders lead back to double-digits.

The final basket of the game came from Williams when he had a slam dunk, leading the Raiders to their third consecutive win, and their seventh on the season.

"Slowly, we're starting to get a little bit of chemistry with the guys," Kirby said. "The injuries have been monumental from the standpoint of trying to get comfortable with each other and understanding how each one wants to catch the ball, and what makes it easier for them. If they play with each other long enough, then they kind of know what the other one's tendencies are."

The Raiders return to action Saturday afternoon at home seeking a win over Wabash College, after losing their last matchup with them 68-60.

"With that game, they came out and hit us in the mouth early," Williams said. "Coach Kirby tells us all the time we are the bully. We don't let anybody hit us. They did, and we fought back, but ran out of time. We have tonight, and in the morning to prepare for them. We want to get that win."

Alex Martin - Daily American Republic