Lady Raiders take out Wabash Valley

MT. CARMEL, Ill. — The Three Rivers College Lady Raiders continue their hot streak after picking up their biggest win of the season.

The No. 10 ranked Lady Raiders hit the road over the weekend to battle against the No. 6 Wabash Valley College. After a second-quarter explosion, the Lady Raiders created enough space to walk away with an 87-79 victory.

The Lady Raiders improved to 13-2 on the season and handed Wabash Valley its first home loss in recent years.

TRC head coach Alex Wiggs said anytime they can step into someone else’s house and grab a win, it’s always a great thing.

“It was a good road win for us,” Wiggs said. “I’m really proud of our girls and the tremendous growth that they have shown in recent games. It’s one thing to get a road win, but it means a lot more when it’s against the No. 6 ranked team in the country. I think it shows how much they have grown and the work they’ve put in, so I’m really proud of that.”

The Lady Raiders kicked off the game with a consistent flow, which gave them the edge to explode at any moment. After a few trips of trading baskets in the first quarter, the Lady Raiders would execute their biggest run of the game by outsourcing Wabash Valley 25-10, a quarter that would ultimately win them the game.

Though Wabash Valley outscored the Lady Raiders for most of the second half, the damage was done. The Lady Raiders managed to control the flow of the game by capitalizing on multiple turnovers, which helped them hold the lead until the final buzzer.

Wiggs said their ability to convert from the forced turnovers helped the Lady Raiders secure the win in the final minutes. While the Lady Raiders made an impact with their solid defense, an explosion off the bench would give them the energy to push forward.

“We did a great job of taking care of the ball while staying shot-ready whenever we had an open shot and finishing around the basket was a big plus,” Wiggs said. “We had some great help off the bench from Bramyia Johnson in the second quarter and got some big shots from our starter K.T Thompson. I feel like all positions came ready to play, and I’m really proud of that, but the big part was executing off the forced turnovers.”

Da’Kariya Jackson led the Lady Raiders with 18 points and seven rebounds, Thompson had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, Alexia Weaver had 11 points and four rebounds and Brittani Wells added nine points and four rebounds. Mya Davidson and Kiera Neal chipped in with eight points each, and Johnson had seven points with two steals and two rebounds.

The Lady Raiders are now ranked No. 7 in the latest NJCAA national rankings. Though Wiggs agrees it’s great to be in the top 10, it’s not the goal for the Lady Raiders.

“The rankings are great because it shows the people how hard the team works,” Wiggs said. “However, the goal and task is to win the next game. Our focus will remain on winning the next game and getting better every day we step onto the court. I want us to take care of business and win the region because the winner gets to be the No. 1 seed and hopefully lands you a home-court advantage in postseason play. The plan is to be locked in every game so we can make that happen.”

The Lady Raiders will be back in action at 2 p.m. Saturday as they hit the road to play Crowder College.

__MEN LOSE CLOSE ONE IN TENNESSEE__

The Three Rivers College men’s basketball team made the trip to Tullahoma, Tennessee to take on the Motlow State Bucks, where the Raiders dropped an 84-80 decision.

Three Rivers (7-8) trailed 43-39 at half.

Anthony Sellars led the Raiders with 23 points, while Kyle Edison added 18 and the duo of Bryce Wallace and Faheim Meran each finished with 11. Wallace also added a team-high 10 rebounds for a double-double.

Three Rivers hosts SEMO Prep Wednesday before opening Region 16 play Saturday at Missouri State-West Plains.