SEDALIA, Mo. — Three Rivers and State Fair went into Wednesday night each looking for their first win in Region XVI, but in the end the Roadrunners came out on top on their home floor with a 70-65 win.

Lamar Wilkerson led the Raiders (8-8, 0-3 XVI) with 15 points coming off of a sprained ankle he suffered back on Dec. 11 against Southern Arkansas University Tech. Keith Kiner contributed 10 points while Kinyon Hodges, Paul Greene, Jason Cherry and Lamont Jackson recorded eight points each.

Where the Raiders struggled was in the rebounding column as State Fair (12-5, 1-1 XVI) had 40 rebounds to Three Rivers' 31.

The Raiders had a fast start as Geene took the opening tip and slammed it down for the first points of the game to kick off a 7-1 run. However some cold shooting by the Raiders, along with both teams trading defensive stops, allowed State Fair to tie it up at 14-all with just over 11 minutes remaining in the first half before eventually taking the lead.

Three Rivers was able to keep up as they trailed 23-22 with 3:48 until halftime and went on a 7-3 run to go up 29-26 at the break.

The turning point of the game came five minutes into the second half as a technical foul was assessed to the Raiders and the Roadrunners tied it up at 38 from the line. After they inbounded the ball, they were able to convert a 3-point shot from the corner to make it a 5-point possession and go up 41-38.

The Raiders couldn't get over the hump after that as State Fair held on for their first win against a region opponent.

Three Rivers look to bounce back on 7 p.m. Saturday as they host Mineral Area at the Libla Family Sports Complex.

Robert Augsdorfer - Daily American Republic