Raiders can't dig out of early hole at Moberly

By MIKE BUHLER

Sports Writer

MOBERLY — The Moberly Area Community College men's basketball team has become a huge thorn in the side of the Three Rivers Raiders.

The Greyhounds ran their winning streak against Three Rivers to nine games Wednesday night as they turned a strong start into a 72-60 win at Fitzsimmons-John Arena.

The Raiders' last win over Moberly was Jan. 19, 2022. Since then, the Greyhounds (16-3, 3-0 Region XVI) have dominated the series, winning seven of those games by double digits and winning four of those by 19 or more points.

And it looked like it might happen again in the early going Wednesday, as K.J. Vasser's layup with 12:41 left in the first half staked the 'Hounds to a 17-5 lead.

However, the Raiders (11-7, 1-1) did not give up, cutting the Moberly lead to single digits (35-28) on Cole Nichols's 3-pointer from the corner with 1:31 left in the half.

An Antonio Williams basket with 13:46 left on the clock cut the Three Rivers' deficit to 43-39, and a Matt Hampton free throw with 11:01 remaining made it a one-possession game at 43-40.

But that's as close as the Raiders got, as Moberly responded with a 15-4 run, taking a 58-44 lead with seven minutes left on Rony Mbandou's basket.

Three Rivers did not quit fighting, cutting the deficit to 66-58 on Marial Malek's basket with 1:38 left in the game, but could come no closer the rest of the way.

For the game, the Raiders shot just under 40% (21-for-53) and were just 29% behind the arc (6-for-21). Three Rivers also was hindered by 24 turnovers, but did hold a 38-25 edge on the boards, led by seven apiece from Hampton and Malek.

Ethan Johnson led the Raiders with 20 points off the bench, while White added eight, Hampton and Williams had seven each and Malek finished with six.

Latrell Kyles led the Greyhounds with 21 points, while Ade Popoola added 17, Vasser had 15 and Mbandou finished with seven.

Three Rivers is back on the court Saturday when it host State Fair in a Region XVI contest. Tipoff time is set for 7 p.m. at the Libla Family Sports Complex.