Lady Raiders down another ranked foe on road

MT. CARMEL, Ill. — The Three Rivers College women’s basketball team started the new year the same way it ended the old — by going on the road and beating a national power.

The sixth-ranked Lady Raiders overcame a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the No. 5 Wabash Valley Lady Warriors 82-76 in overtime on Saturday at the Spencer Sports Center. The win also avenged one of Three Rivers’ two defeats on the season, as Wabash Valley won the first contest 79-76 in overtime on Nov. 2 at the Libla Family Sports Complex.

Last but not least, Saturday’s win was the Lady Raiders’ third in a row over ranked opponents, after they closed out 2024 with wins over Shelton State and Pearl Rivers.

At Wabash Valley, Three Rivers (13-2) led much of the first half, but the Lady Warriors used a 22-10 edge in the third period to take a 59-50 lead to the fourth quarter.

Nakiya Harris’s putback with 7:23 left in regulation gave Wabash Valley (13-2) a 63-53 lead, but the Lady Raiders responded with a 10-2 run, cutting their deficit to two points (65-63) on Laylah Reese’s 3-pointer with 4:16 left in the fourth period.

Madison Lewis drained a triple from the corner with 2:23 left in regulation to put the Lady Warriors up 72-67, but Three Rivers answered back with two free throws from Brittani Wells nine seconds later to to make it a one-possession game again — then Wells hit a trey of her own with 1:10 left in regulation to the score at 72.

Meanwhile, the Lady Raiders tightened up on defense and did not allow another point in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime.

In the extra session, Reese hit a pair of free throws just 14 seconds into the extra session to give Three Rivers its first lead since the third quarter, but the Lady Warriors responded eight seconds later with a basket by Makaya Porter to again tie the score at 74.

With the score tied at 76, Jasmine Davis hit a baseline jumper to give the Lady Raiders a 78-76 lead — a lead they did not relinquish. Three Rivers again turned to its defense to shut out Wabash Valley the rest of the way and also went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final 16.3 seconds to ice the game.

For the game, the Lady Raiders held Wabash Valley to just 31% shooting (23-of-75) from the field, including 18% from behind the 3-point arc (6-for-34). Three Rivers also was able to win despite committing 22 turnovers and Wabash Valley also holding a 44-43 edge on the boards.

Wells led the Lady Raiders with 18 points, while Davis added 16, Thompson and Lexi Weaver each had 12 and Reese finished with 11. Reese added nine rebounds to finish one shy of a double-double, while Thompson had seven and Weaver added six. Wells also had three steals, while Reese and Thompson each had a pair.

Harris had a game-high 23 points for Wabash Valley, while Shamya Reid added 20, Beautiful Waheed had 14 and Lewis finished with 10. Harris and Waheed each had double-doubles, as Harris had 15 rebounds and Waheed added 10. Porter also had nine rebounds, while she and Reid each had a pair of steals.

The Lady Raiders open Region XVI play this Saturday at home against Crowder. Tipoff time is set for 2 p.m.

Notes: The Spencer Sports Center is named after former Wabash Valley College president James Spencer, who also served as interim president at Three Rivers in 1997. Spencer’s sister, Laura Clark, is a retired longtime educator with the Poplar Bluff R-I school district. … This Saturday also will be the first Region XVI doubleheader of the season, as the Three Rivers College men’s basketball team will take on Missouri State University-West Plains at 7 p.m.