C3D1: Parker and Hester deliver in Twin Rivers 65-52 win over Portageville

BENTON, Mo. — Twin Rivers ruled the court when it mattered most, securing a 65-52 win over Portageville in the opening round of the MSHSAA Class 3 District Tournament at Kelly High School on Monday, Feb. 24.

Trailing by eight in the third quarter, the Royals (17-10, 5-2 Ozark Foothills) responded with a complete energy shift, launching an imperious 27-4 run that all but sealed the win over the Bulldogs (8-15, 2-5 Bootheel).

“We picked it up on defense, getting tips on passes and turning them over,” said Twin Rivers coach Austin Birmingham. “That’s usually our style. When we’re playing well, we’re playing uptempo and getting out in transition. it just took three quarters to get us playing like that. They stayed positive and kept playing as a team. They believed they had a chance all the way through and everybody contributed.”

Xayvion Bogan was the clear focal point of Portageville’s offense, accounting for nearly half of his team’s points with a 19-point performance. His scoring, coupled with a solid nine-point effort from Antonio Hickenbottom, kept the Bulldogs in striking distance.

Though it had yet to hit its stride, Twin Rivers held a slim 27-26 advantage at the break.

“It took us a while to get started,” Birmingham said. “We didn’t have a lot of energy at the beginning of the game. We weren’t hitting shots. Luke Hester was big for us. He was finishing inside and kept us alive in that first half when we were struggling. I just told them for us to win, we had to turn the energy up and hit some outside shots.”

In the second half, Will Parker came alive, scoring 20 of his 23 points after the break and providing the spark that allowed Twin Rivers to take control.

Meanwhile, Luke Hester had already laid the foundation in the first half, scoring 14 of his 21 points before the break, including several key finishes in the paint.

With the win, Twin Rivers moves on to face second-seeded East Prairie (20-5, 6-1 Scott-Mississippi) in Wednesday's semifinals at 7:30 p.m.

The Eagles won an earlier season matchup, 69-31, on the Royals' home court.

“It wasn’t our best game and we turned the ball over a lot,” Birmingham said. “The key to playing with them is going to be taking care of the basketball, rebounding and limiting transition.”

__TWIN RIVERS 65, PORTAGEVILLE 52__

Portageville 10 16 17 9 — 52

Twin Rivers 10 17 10 28 — 65

Portageville (52) — Xayvion Bogan 19, Huston Partin 10, Antonio Hickenbottom 9, Parker Thompson 5, Jack Bell 5, Brayden Jeffries 4. FG: 21. FT: 6-8. F: 18. (3-pointers: Hickenbottom 2, Bogan 1, Bell 1. Fouled out: None).

Twin Rivers (65) — Will Parker 23, Luke Hester 21, Jake Hester 14, Eli Hequembourg 5, Zaden Clonch 2. FG: 25. FT: 10-15. F: 14. (3-pointers: Parker 3. Fouled out: None).