Raiders beat State Fair

By ALEX ABATE

Sports Writer

SEDALIA -- The Three Rivers Raiders held on to their Region XVI hats Friday night on the road against State Fair.

The Raiders were ahead 17 points with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game and held on for the 70-66 win.

"You have to work your way through a lot of different games during the season in order to develop and get the experience that you are going to need later in the year," Raiders coach Gene Bess said. "I guess we got a good (game)."

Ken Bingham had 19 points to lead the Raiders while Marquise Carter finished with 18.

State Fair got five straight points to get within 10 points at the 8:56 mark and got within eight at the 4:48 mark after a 3-pointer from Milton Garner. The Roadrunners hit two more 3-pointers at the 37 second mark and 17 second mark to get within two at 68-66.

"They were just starting to come into their own," Bess said of the Roadrunners. "I keep thinking sitting over there, that is a good basketball team. We have to play them again, maybe twice and we better make progress."

The Raiders took their foot off the gas late in the contest, Raiders guard Ken Bingham said.

"I think we just started thinking they were going to give it to us," Bingham said. "We just started to relax and then we had to pick it back up. We should've just picked it up the whole game instead of starting to relax."

Bingham made two free throws with 13 seconds left in the game while Marquise Carter made four with under one minute to play to seal the win for the Raiders.

"We had to (make our free throws)," Bingham said. "We knew it was going to be a tough game when we come to State Fair."

The Raiders were able to block out their surroundings at the line late in the contest.

"Down the stretch, it just seemed the fans were yelling, but we just concentrated and knocked them down," Carter said. "We concentrate a lot on them in practice and when we need to hit them, we will hit them."

Bingham opened the second half with two 3-pointers that extended the Raiders lead to 33-19 with 18:18 left in the game. After State Fair went on a 5-2 spurt before Three Rivers continued to add on to its lead. After a basket from Josh Terry and another from Jeremy Marrs, Richard Walker scored on an offensive rebound at the 11:53 mark to put the Raiders ahead 42-27 moments before they had their biggest lead of the game at the 9:34 mark.

Three Rivers jumped out to a 9-2 lead to start the game. Bingham made a 3-pointer from the right wing with 17:55 left in the game to give the Raiders a 3-0 lead. After the Bingham basket, Marrs nailed a post basket and after a State Fair basket Bingham made another basket to give the Raiders a 7-2 lead.

"He was so big early," Bess said. "He really came to play. He hit those big shots."

Notes: Three Rivers was outrebounded 39-34. … Three Rivers had 15 assists in the game as compared to nine for State Fair. … The Raiders had 15 turnovers as compared to 11 for the Roadrunners.