Lady Raiders dominate Crowder, stay alive in battle for top region seed

NEOSHO, Missouri — The Three Rivers College women’s basketball team used a strong second quarter to open up an 18-point halftime lead on the way to dominating 79-45 win at Crowder Monday afternoon.

The Lady Raiders improved to 21-3 on the season and 11-2 in Region 16 play with Monday’s victory. More importantly, Three Rivers still controls its own destiny in the quest for the top seed in the upcoming Region XVI tournament with two region games remaining.

The Lady Raiders have region games remaining with Crowder at home on Wednesday and at Moberly on Saturday. If they win both of those contests, the Lady Raiders secure the top seed in the region tournament.

At Crowder on Monday, Three Rivers led 15-9 after the opening period, then outscored the home team 23-11 in the second quarter to take a 38-20 lead to the locker room.

The Lady Raiders did not let up after the intermission, taking a 62-36 lead to the fourth quarter and outscoring Crowder 41-25 in the second half.

Mariah Smith paced Three Rivers with 16 points, while Maiya Bergdorf added 13 points and 11 rebounds off the bench. Ari Winston had nine points and Marihya Hart finished with eight. Additionally, Winston and Amiya Johnson each had eight rebounds.

The Lady Raiders dominated Crowder on the boards, outrebounding the hosts 49-19, while Three Rivers’ bench also held a 36-11 edge on the day.

The Lady Raiders take on Crowder again Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the Libla Family Sports Complex.