Raiders headed to region finals after triple-OT thriller against MAC

HILLSBORO — For the first time since 2017, the Three Rivers College men's basketball team will play for a Region XVI championship.

The Raiders punched their ticket to the region finals in thrilling fashion Friday night as they outlasted the Mineral Area College Cardinals 73-68 in a triple-overtime thriller on the campus of Jefferson College.

TRC improves to 19-12 on the season with the win, while Mineral Area ends its season at 18-12.

Making the victory even sweeter was the fact it was the Raiders' first victory over Mineral Area in fur tries this season. MAC won all three regular-season matchups, including a 75-63 win in the regular-season finale last Saturday.

Three Rivers led the Cardinals 28-25 at halftime, but MAC did not give up and the two teams ended regulation tied at 53.

Then they ended the first overtime tied at 58.

Then they ended the second overtime tied at 64.

The Raiders finally took control of the game in the third overtime, outscoring Mineral Area 9-4 in the third extra session to pull out the big win.

Three Rivers won despite shooting just under 33% from the field (23-for-70), thanks in part to committing just 11 turnovers in 55 minutes of basketball and capitalizing on 22 Cardinals turnovers. TRC also held a 42-36 edge on the boards.

Meechie White led the Raiders with 18 points, while Ethan Johnson added 17, Robert Alexander had 11, Matt Hampton added eight and Marial Malek finished with six. Kevin Nunez led the team with eight rebounds, while Malek added seven and the duo of Hampton and White finished with six apiece. Hampton had five assists, while Alexander added five steals, Johnson had three steals and Malek added two steals.

Jordan Logan led Mineral Area with 19 points, while East Carter graduate Preston Turner added 16, Jordyn Richard had 14 and Joseph Scott finished with 10.

Three Rivers will take on top-seeded Moberly for the Region XVI championship at 7 p.m. Saturday at Jefferson College. Moberly defeated State Fair 64-55 in the other semifinal contest on Friday night.