Raiders shake off slow start, shake State Fair

Three Rivers freshman Matt Hampton (right) shoots over State Fair’s Chin Hanson during Saturday’s Region XVI men’s basketball game at the Libla Family Sports Complex.

DAR/Mike Buhler

The Three Rivers College men’s basketball team shook off a slow start and got a big game from Matt Hampton to take a 72-61 win over the State Fair Roadrunners on Saturday night at the Libla Family Sports Complex.

With the win, the Raiders improve to 12-7 overall and 2-1 in Region XVI play. Three Rivers is in second place in the region standings behind Moberly, who is 4-0 in region games.

“They came out of the gate with the toughness about them that made them the No. 4-ranked defensive team in the country and it took us about 15 minutes to adjust to it,” Three Rivers coach Robert Kirby said of State Fair. “They did a great job — give credit to them. They were really hungry and worked extremely hard. Our guys got themselves together and came on right at the end of the first half, and were able to sustain a lead going into halftime.”

State Fair (14-5, 1-2 Region XVI) took a 24-23 lead on a pair of Malick Ndiaye free throws with 2:11 left in the first half, but the Raiders responded with a three-point play by Matt Hampton just 17 seconds later to take a 26-24 lead. A free throw by Marial Malek and another three-point play by Hampton in the final minute of the half capped a 7-0 run and gave Three Rivers a 30-24 halftime lead — and momentum going into the break.

However, the game was far from over.

The Roadrunners tied the game at 37 on an Alex Gunnels jumper just inside the arc with 15:13 left in the contest, but field goals by Johann Pautsch and Meechie White put Three Rivers back in front and sparked a 10-2 run which was capped by a two-handed slam dunk by William Patterson with 12:34 remaining for a 47-39 lead.

Antonio Williams’ basket with 9:09 left in the game gave the Raiders a 53-43 lead, their first double-digit lead of the game, and Three Rivers maintained a relatively steady lead the rest of the way.

Hampton played perhaps his best game of the season, scoring a season-high 25 points and adding nine rebounds and five assists.

“I had no idea he had that many points,” Kirby said. “He got them during the course of the game. ... We’ve been working on him trying to understand how to do that. He put it together for that ball game.”

Robert Alexander and William Patterson came off the bench to score 10 points apiece.

“He’s pretty much a stabilizing force when it comes to playing,” Kirby said. “He did a great job coming in off the bench for us, taking care of the ball and getting it to the right spots.

Patterson also blocked a pair of shots.

“Will came in and did a great job of finishing and working his (rear) off ... and just competing overall,” Kirby said. “When his (game) is where it needs to be, he’s a force to defend.”

White and Williams each had seven points and six rebounds, while White and Ethan Johnson each had three steals and the duo of Hampton and Ali Oralkan each had two steals.

Sam Bradford had 16 points for State Fair, while Donta Davis added 14, Gunnels had 11 and Chin Hanson finished with 10. Hanson also had seven rebounds and blocked two shots, while Davis had three steals.

The Raiders are back in action this Saturday when they take on Mineral Area in another Region XVI contest. Tipoff time is set for 7 p.m. at Bob Sechrest Fieldhouse in Park Hills.

“They’re well coached,” Kirby said. “(Mineral Area coach) Tony (Irons) does an outstanding job coach his team. They’ve been able to be in every game that they’ve played so far and been right there down the stretch. They’ve come up short a couple of games, but they’ve been right there. They’re always a tough matchup for us, no matter who we’ve played and what our schedules are. They’re just a tough matchup for us.

“We’ve got to come in the gym, ready to go, ready to roll from the start of the game to the end, because it’s not going to be an easy game in any shape, form or fashion. We’ve got to do a really good job of taking care of the ball and taking good shots.”