On the road with Three Rivers basketball

By ALEX ABATE -- DAR Sports Writer

The Three Rivers Raiders' Region XVI schedule was has been fairly smooth, and they are hoping it remains that way this weekend with another road trip.

The Raiders are headed to West Plains for a 7 p.m. tipoff Saturday after spending this past weekend in Moberly and Sedalia before heading up to Burlington, Iowa.

The Raiders finished the trip 2-1.

"We would've loved to come back undefeated on the trip," Raiders coach Gene Bess said. "Realistically, I think we played pretty well. To play three games in four days, it takes a toll on me."

The Raiders traveled more than 900 miles in the trip that lasted from Friday to early Tuesday morning. The long trips can take a toll on the players, especially traveling on a charter bus.

"You just get stiff," Three Rivers guard Allan Spencer said. "Even though we got a charter bus, it is still pretty tight with your legs. I am 5-8 and I am still stiff. It just gets to you a little bit."

The Raiders won their game against State Fair on Friday night and did the same on Saturday as they got past the Greyhounds. The tone of the trip sometimes fluctuates depending on the results of the games.

"If we lose, we are not going to be doing too much," Spencer said. "No coach likes to lose. When we lose, it is quiet, (the coaches) don't talk much but when we win, they give us a little more freedom and let us do a little more."

The players watch film of the game they just played on the bus ride home or in this case, to their next destination.

"Everybody has a good attitude after a game if we have won," Raider forward Josh Terry said. "After a game that we lost, we just kind of look at the film on the bus to see the areas we need to improve on."

After games on Friday and Saturday the Raiders had Sunday off. After getting up at 8 a.m. and having breakfast at 8:30, the team departed for Burlington, which is about a three-hour trip from Moberly. After arriving the team went to a shoot-around for an hour before lunch. The team got a few hours of free time before dinner. The down time can be good and bad.

"Yeah it is not really fun but we just come back to the room and take advantage of what time we do have, chill and watch TV," Spencer said.

However, the hotel the team was staying at was a location that featured a game room and laser tag which some of the team took advantage of.

"That was kind of fun, that took our mind off the game," Spencer said. "We went out and played laser tag, went bowling, played some arcade. It got our mind off ballin' for a little bit so that's good."

The experiences like laser tag help the team bond.

"I think things like that, they help us look at our whole life," Terry said. "With our teammates, that is all we have on the road."

After the day off on Sunday, the team woke up Monday at 8:30 a.m. and had shootaround at 9 at Southeastern's gym. After the shootaround, the team had breakfast before returning to the hotel for some more down time before a film session at 2:30 and lunch around 3.

The early wakeup times and film sessions throughout the day keep the Raiders fresh for the game.

"They don't want us to lay around all day and just sleep in," Terry said. "The meetings, they help out, they show film of things we need to work on and watch out for."

Despite all the waiting time before the game at 7, the team's mental focus doesn't suffer.

"I think you just have to get your mind set," Terry said. "I don't think it is really a big deal, you just have to be ready to play at night."

After the game Monday, a 71-68 loss to the seventh-ranked Blackhawks, the team got dinner quickly before beginning the trip back to Poplar Bluff. The bus arrived in the Three Rivers parking lot just after 4 a.m. The players had little time to recover as the first day of the second semester was to begin in a little less than four hours.

"That is first, class comes first," Bess said. "I know it was hard on me, I didn't go to bed that night. I got up and went to my classes and I think all the players went to theirs."