SEDALIA - The Raiders were ahead 4-3 when they gave up their first run of the game, nine straight points to State Fair, and nevery quite made it all the way back.
State Fair controlled the game nearly throughout and won 76-61 Saturday.
"We competed tonight and I think things were looking up for a little bit. We are going to hang in here and get back to the basics," Three Rivers coach Gene Bess said. "Everybody in the region is awfully good. We are young in a lot of ways but we are going to grow up and get a lot better. That is what life is about."
Three Rivers struggled shooting in the first half and had six points through the first nine minutes of play. State Fair doubled up the score.
"Their's were falling and our's weren't," Bess said.
For a stretch, the Roadrunners (14-3, 1-0 Region XVI) continued to score two points for every one by the Raiders. With under six minutes left in the half, Dru Smith sank a 3 made it 22-11 and gave State Fair its first double-digit lead.
The Raiders (6-10, 0-2 Region XVI) had one field goal in the final four minutes ofe the half, a late 3-pointers by Cameron Maddox, and State Fair went into the locker room with a 15 point lead, the same margin it won by.
Three Rivers was outrebounded 45-28, and had half as many offensive rebounds. Three Rivers also committed twice as many turnovers. They finished minus-11 on points off turnovers and minus-7 on second-chance points.
"They are going to have to rebound. We don't have a choice anymore. We are going to have to all start rebounding," Bess said.
Three Rivers shot 29 percent from the field in the first half and 48 percent in the seocnd half for 39.6 percent overall.
After a strong second half, Keiondre Jefferson led Three Rivers with 18 points on 7 for 10 shooting. Jeffery Porter had his (xx) double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. He had four of the team's nine offensive rebounds. No other Raider had more the four total rebounds.
Aidan Saunders added 12 points off the bench.
"I really liked the way Porter, Stocks and Jefferson played tonight. They played hard and hit big shots. We have just got to get some other people blending in," Bess said.
Stocks, who started and was second on the team with 29 minutes, was 2 for 3 shooting with an assist and a steal.
The Raiders scored the first couple baskets and Stocks sank a 3 to cut State Fair's lead to 11 points.
A minute later, Jefferson drove baseline, hung in the air and scored to get Three Rivers within 10 points for the first time since early in the first half.
A minute later, Jefferson's three-point play continued the run to start the second half and cut the Roadrunners lead to seven points.
Toles, State Fair's leading scorer at 14.9 points, picked up his fourth foul with 11 minutes remaining that was also State Fair's seventh, putting them in the bonus.
The Roadrunners, though, quickly pushed the lead back to 12 points and the lead wobbled around the 10-point mark for the rest of the game.
Tyreek Scott-Grayson led State Fair with 17 points. Andrew Walker had 16, Caleb Coleman got 12 and Smith had 10.
Scott Borkgren - Daily American Republic