WEST PLAINS, Mo. – They went toe-to-toe with one of the best junior college teams in the nation last night, Jan. 16, but the Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzly Basketball team came up short against Region 16 rival and No. 6 Mineral Area College Cardinals 91-88 in a double overtime heart-breaker at Joe Paul Evans Arena in the West Plains Civic Center.
The Grizzlies, now 9-11 on the season, put a scare in the 19-0 Cardinals, taking leads several times throughout the contest, including a 6-point lead in the second half. But the talented squad from Park Hills finally got the edge it needed in the second overtime period when Lamar Morgan canned a 3-pointer to put the Cardinals up by 5 points and the Grizzlies couldn’t overcome the deficit before time ran out.
“I’m very proud of our guys,” Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Chris Popp said. “We were down another starter, Quinton Gray, due to illness and had to overcome a lot to give ourselves a chance against a legitimate top 10 team.”
The game was close throughout with neither team gaining a huge advantage. At halftime, the Grizzlies were down 41-38. A missed shot by the Cardinals at the end of regulation sent the game into the first overtime period with the teams knotted at 73-73, and a missed shot by the Grizzlies at the end of the first overtime period sent the teams into the second overtime tied at 80-80.
“We were focused and ready from the start,” Popp said. “What Mineral Area does is make the game hectic, but we never got to that point. We handled the pressure and took advantage of it. We felt like we missed an opportunity with this game. We talk a lot about the importance of every possession on both ends. An empty possession on offense, a careless pass, a missed defensive rotation, and so on. These are games where you can go back and point to a lot of possessions that could have made the difference.”
Sophomore forward Stefan Lakic led the team in scoring with a season high 30 points, followed by freshman guard Marcus Blackwell with 14, freshman forward Yannis Mendy with 12, and redshirt freshman guard Lane Duncan and freshman guard D’Shawnn Coleman with 11 points each.
“Marcus was back in the starting lineup with Quinton out, and he came up big. He was three of five from the three and guarded well. Marcus brings a toughness that is huge for us,” Popp said. “It was great to have D’Shawnn back from injury. He’s not 100 percent, but he made an impact challenging shots, getting to the rim and drawing fouls. That was big.”
The Cardinals had six players in double figures. Shawn Roundtree led the team with 20 points, followed by Morgan with 17, Zac Cuthbertson 13, and Darius Thompson, Devin Thomas and Amar Miller each with 11.
Despite the loss, Popp said these are the types of games competitive teams want to be in. “As a competitor, these are the games you want to be involved in, but they’re frustrating to lose,” he explained.
Because of the need to reschedule the MAC game from Saturday to Monday night due to inclement weather, the Grizzlies have rescheduled tonight’s game against College of Faith Prep, West Memphis, Arkansas, to 7 p.m. Feb. 27 at the civic center.
As a result, the Grizzlies’ next game will be Saturday, Jan. 21, against Region 16 arch rival Three Rivers College in Poplar Bluff. “We get another opportunity to play a team that’s been ranked as high as No. 19 this year at their place,” Popp said. “Rivalry games at any level are great to be part of. You want to play the best in the best environment, and rivalry games give you a chance to do that.”
The Grizzlies’ next home game will be Jan. 24 against another Region 16 team, State Fair Community College of Sedalia. The remaining home contests are set for Feb. 11 against Three Rivers for homecoming, Feb. 21 against St. Louis Community College and Feb. 24 against Region 16 rival Moberly Area Community College, ranked fourth in the most recent NJCAA poll. All games will get underway at 7 p.m.
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.