WEST PLAINS, Mo. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Basketball team will go into its second tournament of the year this weekend with a 2-2 record after falling to 13th ranked Neosho County Community College, Chanute, Kansas, 78-75 Wednesday evening in Joe Paul Evans Arena at the West Plains Civic Center.
The Grizzlies will compete Friday and Saturday in the Holiday Inn/Hampton Inn Reiver Classic hosted by Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Iowa. They’re scheduled to play Quakerdale Prep, New Providence, Iowa, at 3 p.m. Friday and the host Reivers at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Before then, Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Chris Popp is hoping to find an answer to the slow starts that have been hampering his team so far this season. Wednesday night, the Grizzlies dug themselves into a double-digit hole in the first half, going into the halftime break down 39-27. They had to battle back well into the second half before picking up their first lead of the contest against the Panthers.
“We had our chances, but we shot ourselves in the foot again with a slow start,” Popp said. “That’s been our m.o. all season, we give people life then fight back. We’ve got to fix that. We need better focus out of the gates. That’s the key to us getting to where we want to be.”
Although they made the game an uphill battle, Popp said he was pleased to see the Grizzlies battle back. “Four games in, and they’ve responded every time. We simply have to eliminate the early deficits,” he said.
Scoring 48 points in the second half, the Grizzlies took their first lead with approximately two minutes remaining in the game. From that point on, the teams battled back and forth until the Panthers finally took the lead for good. “If a couple more of our shots fall, it’s a different story,” Popp said.
With 46 seconds left, the Grizzlies were down 1 with the ball. “We got what we wanted. Quinton got to the rim. He finishes that eight out of 10 times. If it had gone in, everything changes. At that point, we had to put them on the line and hope they missed,” he said.
Despite the loss, Popp was happy to see freshman guard Radshad Davis return to the floor. Sidelined by an injury since the second game of the season, Davis turned in a double-double performance, recording 16 points and 13 rebounds – eight of which came off the offensive glass – for the night.
“It was priceless to have Rashad back,” Popp said. “He brings energy and a presence on the glass. He makes winning plays. He’s a big key for us, and we’ve got to have him on the floor.”
Popp also pointed to the play of freshman point guard Quinton Gray, who had 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists; redshirt freshman point guard Ricky Torres, who had eight assists, two blocks and a steal; and sophomore guard Dwayne Orija, who came off the bench and “made some effort plays down the stretch.”
Freshman guard Marcus Blackwell also came off the bench and gave the Grizzlies “a spark” by contributing 6 points and four rebounds before he found himself in foul trouble, the coach said. “We had good production off the bench,” he added.
This weekend’s tournament will be another test for the Grizzlies, Popp said. “Quakerdale is talented and athletic, and Iowa Western has a very good team. We have another challenge ahead of us this weekend,” he said.
For more information about the Grizzly Basketball program, visit the team’s website or call 417-255-7991. Complete box scores of the games can be found online, as well.