Missing coach turned into fan, motivating factor

Brian Bess paced all around his house and even out to his car Tuesday night. With 3 minutes left in the Region XVI Championship game, the Three Rivers assistant coach finally headed to the Bess Activity Center.

But as the old shed shook with the final minutes of another thriller between the Raiders and Mineral Area, Bess sat in his car and waited until the final buzzer.

"They didn't miss me," Bess said sitting at his desk following an 85-82 win by the Raiders.

Banned from the gym after picking up a pair of technical fouls Saturday in Game 2, Bess became a fan and a motivating factor for the Raiders in the all-the-marbles Game 3.

"We wanted to do this for him," sophomore Kendal Deason said. "He wants it more than anyone."

Added freshman Michael Lance, "We all said before the game that we wanted to do it for Coach Brian."

After squeaking out of the opener with an overtime win, Three Rivers got pounded by 26 points on the road. The two teams had split four games this season, each winning at home, but Mineral Area headed into Game 3 with momentum and the Raiders were going to be without the assistant coach who usually calls out the plays and substitutions.

"It scared me to death," Gene Bess said. "I was worried all day."

For the second time in the last 14 years, the father-son coaching team wasn't together. It was the first time Brian had ever missed a game.

The Raider coaching staff thought it was Gene who had picked up the first technical Saturday, so when Brian argued a call in the second half and was called for a technical foul and ejected, it led to an interesting day off.

Following the team's 3 p.m. shootaround Tuesday, Brian Bess picked up his son from school and the two played baseball until it was time to go to the game. But while Kolby and Kiley went with mom, dad stayed home listening to the radio in the house and in the car, which also picked up Mineral Area's announcer.

By the time the team started cutting down the nets, Coach Brian had a videocamera in-hand and was making the substitutions on the ladder.

"I'm glad he's my coach," sophomore Keith Burton said. "And I'm glad he's going to get to coach another game I'll be playing in."

It wasn't easy.

"Everybody was on edge," first-year assistant coach William Durden said, "but I think the guys really responded well to him not being there and they really wanted to win again for him to coach them again."

The opening 15 seconds probably didn't help everybody's nerves when the Cardinals scored first and the Raiders threw away the ensuing inbound pass. But a steal and an ally-oop pass by Mantas Griskenas tied the game when Artem Valov threw it down. Unlike the first two games, the Raiders jumped out to an early lead.

Of course, Mineral Area rallied and Gene Bess called time, getting his team ready for the ensuing battle that saw six lead changes and five ties before halftime.

In the second half, Three Rivers struggled with foul trouble as Griskenas picked up his third while Valov and Aaron Redecker each were whistled for No. 4 with more than 14 minutes left to play. The Raiders didn't miss a beat and they didn't tire down the stretch.

Gene Bess also took on Brian's role of part cheerleader, waving his arms to get the crowd to stand up at key moments during the second half, just as Brian did in Game 1.

"I don't know how many times I heard people say that he's too old for this, that and the other," said Brian of his father. "He proved once again that he's got the energy. He can do it.

"These guys believed in him. I thought that was awesome."

Win No. 1,026 may have been the best yet for Bess.

"I guess I'm realizing it's so few and far between," Gene said. "I was wanting this one as bad as any game I've ever coached in. I can't remember feeling any better about a game."

He then paused.

"The only thing I can say right now is that we've got to go up there and win four more."

Brian Rosener is the sports editor for the Daily American Republic.