(Poplar Bluff) Saturday’s Region 16 basketball game between the MSU-West Plains Grizzlies and the Three Rivers Raiders was closed to the public. Had fans been allowed into the Libla Sports Complex, they would have seen one of the best performances by the Grizzlies in a very long time, perhaps ever.
The final score was 100-90 as the Grizzlies won their fourth straight game to go to 6-2 for the season. But the final score was deceptive in that the Grizzlies dominated the game throughout. After taking a 4-2 lead early, MSU-West Plains never trailed.
A 15-point first half lead was reduced to 50-42 by halftime. But the Grizzlies roared out of the gate in the second half, taking firm control with their quickness and hot shooting. With 14 minutes to play in the second half, MSU-West Plains had expanded the advantage to 25 points over the 20th ranked Raiders. The Grizzlies went cold the final 5 minutes as the Raiders heated up and connected on a series of 3-point shots to trim the deficit to the final margin. But make no mistake: The Grizzlies dominated the Raiders who’s only previous loss was in overtime to John A. Logan from Illinois who were ranked number 1 in the nation at the time.
Among the keys to the win were hot shooting, solid rebounding and finishing +9 in turnovers. The Grizz shot 48 percent from the field in both halves including 42 percent from the three-point line for the game. The rebounding numbers favored the Grizzlies, 43-41. The turnover differential allowed MSU-West Plains to outscore the Raiders in points off turnovers, 32-16. Their overall quickness proved to be a huge advantage. The Grizzlies outscored the Raiders in the paint, 40-26.
This was also a matchup between the two leading scorers in Division I. Lamar Wilkerson of Three Rivers came in with an average of 26 points per game, best in the country. He finished with 20. But right behind him was Grizzly sophomore Jesse Zarzuela, averaging 25. Zarzuela finished with 26. But MSU-West Plains also got great efforts from several players. Sophomore Nico Hill finished with a career best 18 points. Freshman Scooter Williams tallied a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Tre Breland contributed 13 points and 5 rebounds. Sophomore Ian Lopez added 8 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomores Franklyn Petion, Martaveon Jones and freshman Jimarius Sneed also turned in solid performances.
On the KDY postgame, when asked what his team did best against the Raiders, Grizzly head coach Jared Phay said, “We played hard from start to finish”.
The win raises the Grizzlies season mark to 6-2 while the Raiders drop to 5-2.
Fans will have a chance to welcome the Grizzlies back home on Wednesday night when they host the St. Louis Community College Archers at 7 pm, weather permitting.
