Three Rivers finishes strong at weekend Jamborees

The Three Rivers College Men’s basketball team had a successful weekend after getting their first taste of action with a few preseason games.

The Raiders finished 5-0 and got a few runs in against some tough competition at the Midwest Juco Jamboree in Carbondale, Ill., where they won three games.

“We were really excited to get on the court,” head coach Brian Bess said. “I believe our weekend was a success all around. We competed hard and had a lot of guys play well. It was good for us to get some games in because it allowed us to see the areas we need to work on.”

They kicked off the weekend at home on Saturday, landed wins over ASU Mid South 97-70, and captured a win over We Are United Prep 90-81 after trailing at the half 44-43.

The Raiders’ streak continued Sunday in the presence of some of the best basketball teams in the region. They defeated Shawnee 53-42 and erased an 11-point deficit to capture a 56-49 win over Wabash Valley. The Raiders would close out the weekend with a 48-42 win over Lake Land.

Three Rivers will get back in the lab this week to gear up for their last basketball jamboree of the preseason in Jackson, Miss., next weekend.

Bess plans to put emphasis on ball screen defense and transition defense during practices this week. He said nothing major that he saw from this weekend needed an immediate change, but he wants to clean some things up before their next jamboree.

“From what I saw, we gave up too many wide-open three in transition,” Bess said. “We did play well, but there’s a lot of little things that make a difference when it comes to basketball, so I just want us to do a lot better. We got to rebound better, and I plan to put a lot of emphasis on that. We will do many of my dad’s drills, which helped many players rebound and play hard.”

Overall, Bess said he was happy with the team’s performance this past weekend and got a great effort from the potential starters. He said participating in the jamboree allows players to figure out who they are and what role they can play for the Raiders this

upcoming season.