In the fourth quarter of Saturday's home game, Three Rivers College freshman Samyah Jordan banked home a shot off the backboard, putting her team up by one, en route to a 60-56 win over the Itawamba Lady Indians for their fourth win of the season.

"We are a young team," said sophomore guard Kiera Neal. "A lot of us are coming back from injuries. With that, I think it's just a big improvement. It's fun to watch us all come together and pull away against top teams, and find a way to win."

The Lady Raiders struck first when the game opened, with freshman Londyn Harper making a shot from 3-point range, followed later by another 3-pointer from sophomore Da'Naya Ross.

Ross would go on to add another shot from mid-range, with a 3-pointer from sophomore Lynn Rieth as the Lady Raiders led 15-13 heading into the second quarter.

Rieth opened the second quarter with another 3-point shot, which was followed by another Lady Raiders 3-pointer from freshman Jordan Blake. However, the Indians' offense responded with back-to-back 3's from Tootie Lockett and Kelsi Dilworth.

The Indians got another two baskets, forcing a timeout from Three Rivers head coach Alex Wiggs. When play resumed, Harper made another 3-pointer.

"I think that's because of our depth," Wiggs said. "We've talked about how many kids we have that can score the ball. Because of our drives and our penetrations, and that leaves really good shooters open."

The Lady Raiders were able to get a lead just before the half concluded when Jordan came away with a shot at the buzzer as the Lady Raiders took a 31-29 lead into the locker room at halftime.

"He [Wiggs] told us to do the little things," Neal said. "The little things are what really matter in these types of games. We have to talk, make sure we rebound, and come out and execute plays."

Coming into the third quarter, Lockett immediately tied the game with a shot, but the Lady Raiders instantly took back the lead when freshman Amelia Corasaniti made three consecutive shots.

However, that didn't faze the Indians as they responded back with free throws from I'Xana Winters and a fade-away shot from Lockett.

The Indians' offense got going towards the end of the third quarter when they continued to bank home multiple shots, but the Lady Raiders closed out the quarter on a 4-0 run with a mid-range bucket from Rieth and free throws from Neal as they trailed 44-41 entering the final quarter.

Indians' sophomore Briyana Turner opened the fourth quarter with the first shots, but the Lady Raiders rallied to tie it when freshman Jordan Blake launched a shot from 3-point range, followed by more free throws from Neal.

"Kiera started the game with one leg running her fade-away layups," Wiggs said. "It caused her to not start off great from the field, but then she started attacking the basket."

The game continued to be a back-and-forth affair with multiple lead changes until Jordan put the game away with 12.4 seconds with a shot off the backboard. Neal added one more basket on a layup as the Lady Raiders won in close fashion.

"It was really nice," Neal said. "That basically secured the win right there. Samyah looked up, and I was right down the court, we made eye contact, and that was it."

The Lady Raiders will return to action Monday on the road at 5:30 p.m. when they face the undefeated 3-0 Northwest Mississippi Lady Rangers.

"We've got to take of our bodies and listen to what our coach says," Neal added. "It's going to be a fight. It's going to be a game, but it's nothing that we're not prepared for."

Alex Martin - Daily American Republic