WEST PLAINS, Mo. – You can almost guarantee that anytime the Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzlies face Three Rivers College of Poplar Bluff on the basketball court, you’ll be sitting on the edge of your seat. Saturday’s installment of this twice-yearly Region 16 rivalry did not disappoint.
In a first-half neck-and-neck battle that almost turned into a blowout in the second, the Grizzlies and Raiders had to go an extra five minutes before a winner emerged. Unfortunately for the Grizzlies, the Raiders prevailed in that overtime period, stealing a 101-98 victory from the home team in Missouri State-West Plains’ annual homecoming game in Joe Paul Evans Arena at the West Plains Civic Center.
“It was a great game for the fans. Both teams left it all out on the floor,” Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Yancey Walker said.
The Grizzlies and Raiders kept it close in the first half, with neither team gaining more than a 6-point advantage on the other. Down by 2 late in the first half, Grizzly freshman guard Vonny Irvin stole the ball and took it to the basket to tie the contest at 42-42 going into halftime.
Early in the second half, the Grizzly defense couldn’t stop the Raiders’ scoring machine, and they found themselves down by 20 points, but midway through the period, the Grizzlies began clawing their way back into the contest. With just seconds left on the clock and down 88-85, Irvin played hero again and sank a 3-pointer to send the contest into overtime.
“We made our run because we got some easy baskets off of our defense,” Walker said. “Our guards did a great job in the full court. We also got a great lift from our bench.”
The Grizzlies took a quick 4-point lead in overtime, but the Raiders tied it up at 92-92. From there the two teams traded baskets until, with just 4.9 second left in the game and down 101-98, a shot by the Grizzlies missed the basket and bounced out of bounds, and the game was over.
Irvin led the Grizzlies on the scoreboard with 24 points. He also had three rebounds, four assists and three steals. Freshman forward Devonte Campbell followed with 16 points and five rebounds, and freshman forwards Eddie Reese, Mike Parks and Shondell Jackson all came in off the bench to score 13, 12 and 11 points respectively. Parks added 13 rebounds to his stat line for a double-double performance.
Overall, the Grizzlies hit 32 of 69 shots from the field for 46.4 percent, seven of 32 attempts from 3-point range for 21.9 percent and 27 of 42 shots from the charity stripe for 64.3 percent. They also recorded 42 rebounds, 13 assists, 18 turnovers, four blocks and nine steals.
The Raiders hit 34 of 64 attempts from the field for 53.1 percent, 13 of 25 3-point attempts for 52 percent, and 20 of 37 free throw attempts for 54.1 percent. They also had 37 rebounds, 17 assists, 18 turnovers, five blocks and six steals. Leading scorers were Gabe Grant with 35 points, Jemeereo Spain 20 and Justas Furmanavicius 16.
“We didn’t defend the three well enough and that was the difference,” Walker said. “In order to be successful, we will have to defend the three a lot better. When the other team shoots a good percentage from the three, it neutralizes the good things we do offensively.”
Walker thanked the Ozark Horse Trader for sponsoring the game. “They did a great job again this year with their promotions and financial support. I also want to thank those who came over from the Missouri State University campus in Springfield to watch the game. That kind of support is greatly appreciated,” the coach said.
Saturday’s loss drops the Grizzlies to 14-7 overall, 0-3 in Region 16 play and 1-3 in the Midwest Community College Athletic Conference (MCCAC). They hope to change those records in a positive way when they face State Fair Community College at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 20, in Sedalia.
For more information about the Grizzly Basketball program, visit the team’s website or call the Grizzly Basketball office at 417-255-7993. Complete game statistics can be found here.