HARRISBURG, Ill. – The Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Basketball team will go into its Grizzly Christmas Classic tournament this weekend with a 6-6 record after picking up a 95-82 victory Tuesday evening over Southeastern Illinois College in Harrisburg.
The Grizzlies will welcome Arkansas Baptist College of Little Rock, College of Faith Prep from West Memphis, Arkansas, and Iowa Western Community College (IWCC) from Council Bluffs to the two-day tournament, which begins at 5 p.m. Friday when Arkansas Baptist will face IWCC. The Grizzlies will battle College of Faith at 7. On Saturday, the Grizzlies and IWCC will face off at 1 p.m., followed by Arkansas Baptist and College of Faith at 3 p.m.
“Our guys are anxious to play Iowa Western again,” Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Chris Popp said, referring to the Nov. 12 match-up between the two teams in Council Bluffs that was won by the Reivers. “We felt like we let one slip away up there, and we’re looking to redeem ourselves.”
Hopefully by this weekend, the Grizzlies can overcome their penchant for slow starts. As has been the case most of the season, the Grizzlies fell behind Tuesday night against Southeastern Illinois in the first half and had to battle back in the second for the win. Down by as many as 15 points in the first, the Grizzlies went into the halftime break trailing 48-37.
“This game, I felt like we came out with the right energy and focus, but things didn’t go our way early on,” Popp explained.
But the Grizzlies quickly began chipping away at the lead in the second, thanks in large part to freshman guard Darnell Butler, who led the team in scoring with 26 points, 14 of which came in the second half. “Darnell continues to get better,” Popp said. “He’s established that he needs to be on the court for us.”
Also contributing to the win was redshirt freshman point guard Ricky Torres, who scored 25 points for the night. “Ricky led the way with his energy,” Popp said. “He pushed the pace and kept us at the speed we needed to play. They tried to slow us down with the zone, but he wouldn’t let them. Give credit to (freshman) Quinton Gray there, as well. Our point guard play was very good yesterday.”
The Grizzlies finally took the lead 66-63 with just over nine minutes remaining in the game.
“We talk about being road warriors and what it takes to win on the road, and our guys stepped up after being down by 11 and won by 13,” the coach said. “We were tough enough on the road to withstand some runs on their side and made the defensive plays that we needed to make. You can’t come back from a deficit without getting stops.”
TOY TOSS
Popp reminded the Grizzlies are asking fans to bring a new or gently used soft, stuffed toy to Saturday’s game for the toy toss, which will benefit area children who are less fortunate this holiday season. Those who do will receive free admission to the game.
After the Grizzlies score their first points Saturday, fans will then be asked to toss their toys onto the court, where they will be collected. The Grizzlies are working with the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and the Boys and Girls Club of the Greater West Plains Area on this project, Popp added.
For more information about the toss, contact Popp at 417-255-7991 or CPopp@MissouriState.edu.
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.