Raiders edge St. Louis CC

A series of last-minute baskets aided the Raiders in getting the edge over their opponents.

With back-to-back losses hanging over their head, the Three Rivers College Raiders Men’s basketball team needed a solid win to get back on track.

The Raiders took on St. Louis Community College on Wednesday at Libla for another conference matchup. After making countless attacks to the rim and getting many stops on defense, the Raiders picked up enough momentum to pull away from the St. Louis Archers with a 76-73

With the win, the Raiders improved to 10-10 on the season and picked up their second win in conference play.

“Anytime we can walk away with a win, it’s always great,” Raiders’ coach Brian Bess said. “We’re battling and making progress. I think we’re getting better, but we have a big challenge on Saturday, going against Mineral Area College, who’s ranked number two in the nation. So, with a game like that ahead of you, it doesn’t take a whole lot of motivation to get ready for a game like that. Our goal is just to compete on Saturday.

The last time these two faced off was last season when the Raiders walked away with a 64-56 victory. To end the game with the same outcome, the Raiders would rely on establishing a presence in the post and limiting St. Louis from getting second-chance baskets.

Both teams stormed onto the court with a lot of intensity. The Raiders set the tone early with multiple attacks to the rim from guard Demetris White and consistent shooting from Anthony Sellars. The Raiders got into a nice flow with their offense and utilized pressure defense for a quick 9-2 lead within the first few minutes of the game.

The Raiders came out in attack mode, taking any opening to the basket that the defense allowed. They quickly found a solid pace in the first 10 minutes of the game and established a comfortable double-digit lead that would carry over into the half.

Though the Raiders held a 46-33 to kick off the second half, The Archers would come back out with a different energy. They started on a quick run, cutting the lead to within two with only two minutes remaining in the contest.

Despite the effort from St. Louis, the Raiders would stay composed long enough to walk away with the win.

Sellars led the Raiders with 18 points, Kyle Edison had 15 with four rebounds and White had 14 with four rebounds as well.

As the Raiders gear up to hit the road for a tough matchup on Saturday against Mineral Area, Bess said the team needs to improve in many areas, especially with their rebounding and getting stops. He said the main thing the Raiders must focus on is their effort towards competing and battling, if they can do that, good things will happen.