The Lady Raiders kicked off the night against a previously unbeaten State Fair in a close game to avenge their loss in the team's last showdown, a 68-58 win by the Lady Roadrunners on Jan. 10. This time around, the Lady Raiders were determined to emerge victorious, and they rode a stingy defense to a season-defining victory.
Samiyah Jordan led the Lady Raiders with 13 points, and fellow guard Amelia Corasaniti supplemented her with 12 points. Post player Caitlin Lord accrued a 10 point, 10 rebound double-double. Head coach Alex Wiggs was pleased with his team's performance and how they closed out a tough and gritty State Fair team.
"State Fair is a really good team and a well-coached team, but I am confident that my team will step on the floor and win against every team we face," Wiggs said. "That's nothing against anybody, but with the players that we have, that's what I believe."
The Lady Raiders limited State Fair to just 19 first half points, in which the Lady Roadrunners shot 20 percent from the field and 10 percent from three-point distance. Despite improving their percentage in the second half, State Fair couldn't get key stops late in the second half and the Raiders took advantage of gaps within their opponent's defense. Despite only hitting two three-pointers the entire contest, Three Rivers managed to get key baskets near the rim and secure the victory.
"We knew that it would take a lot to beat a good team like them, but we were confident and we let our defense lead us," Lord said. "We have to continue with that confidence every time we step foot on the court."
Ellie Buscher led State Fair with 16 points and eight rebounds, while teammate Maliyah White scored 10 points and grabbed three rebounds.
"The zone has given us problems all year, because we haven't been shooting it all, but tonight we made the plays, we cut backdoor, and we did what we needed to do in order to beat a really good team like State Fair," Wiggs said.
The Lady Raiders will be back in action Saturday afternoon in a road tilt against Mineral Area College.
Liaudwin Seaberry Jr. - Daily American Republic
