COLUMN: Saturday is big for Raiders

It is not a stretch to say Saturday’s Three Rivers College men’s basketball game with the Moberly Greyhounds is not only the biggest game to date of the Robert Kirby era, but it also might be the biggest regular-season game the Raiders have played in several years.

The Raiders enter Saturday’s contest sitting in second place in Region XVI play with a 3-2 record, 2 1/2 games behind Moberly, while the Greyhounds sit atop the region with a 6-0 record.

A win over the ‘Hounds not only would solidify Three Rivers’ grip on second place in the region standings, but also would put the Raiders just one game behind Moberly in the loss column — and give them a legitimate shot to catch the three-time defending region champion Greyhounds before the season ends.

By contrast, a loss to Moberly would give the ‘Hounds a 3 1/2 game lead in the region standings. With head-to-head tiebreakers over the Raiders, Mineral Area and State Fair, Moberly would be all but impossible to catch in the race for the top seed in March’s Region XVI Tournament.

So calling Saturday’s game a must-win for the Raiders is not that much of a stretch, if any.

Another reason Saturday’s game looms large on the calendar for TRC is because the Raiders have not beaten Moberly in Poplar Bluff in more than nine years. The last time Three Rivers beat the Greyhounds at home was Jan. 23, 2016, when the Raiders still played at the Bess Activity Center and their roster included future Ole Miss players Lane Below and Justas Furmanavicius. Needless to say, a home win against Moberly would go a long way in putting the struggles of the last few years in TRC‘s rearview mirror.

On the other side of the coin, the Lady Raiders enter Saturday’s contest against Moberly as a clear favorite. Three Rivers not only sits atop the record standings with a 4-0 record, but three of those victories have came on the road, including a win at Moberly on Jan. 15. With five of their next seven region contests at home, February could be a good month for the Lady Raiders.

Lastly, Saturday’s game is also the capstone of the college’s annual alumni reunion. With Raiders basketball legends Moon McCrary and Sunday Adebayo among the inductees into the college’s Athletic Hall of Fame the previous night and several alumni expected to be in attendance at Saturday’s game, the crowd could be the biggest of the year at the Libla Family Sports Complex.

Between the Raiders, the Lady Raiders and the alumni reunion, Saturday is the night to make your way to the Libla Family Sports Complex, especially if you haven’t already.

Mike Buhler is a sports writer for the Daily American Republic. Contact him at mbuhler@darnews.com.