Before the home and season opener, Three Rivers College coach Jeff Walk asked his team in the locker room if anyone was nervous.
Freshman Olivia Crane spoke up. Why should anyone be nervous? They've already played a bunch of games together in the preseason.
"I feel like we were ready tonight. We've been playing together. We know what we are capable of as a team," Crane said.
Three Rivers scored the first 12 points and dominated Lindenwood-Belleville JV for a 105-43 win at the Bess Activity Center. It was the fourth time in 32 games that the Lady Raiders have scored more than 100 points and was also their biggest margin of victory since beating Missouri Baptist JV 118-40 on Dec. 4 last season.
"That's a great start. We've just got to continue that start," Walk said. "Hopefully what we've been doing in the preseason and in practice showed up tonight."
With 2:40 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Lady Raiders strung together seven passes to all five players before Everhart eventually kicked it cross-court to Williams, who swished a 3 to put Three Rivers ahead 102-43. It was textbook to what Walk has been trying to implement during the preseason.
"When you bring back seven sophomores plus a third-year red-shirt, they understand the college game already. Then you bring in some high IQ freshmen that know how to play the game, it makes it more fluid," Walk said.
It was the first game of the season and the Lady Raiders were already down to 10 players. Hannah Baxter and Casey Douglas are red-shirting, Camdyn McDaniel was out with a concussion, Kabrien Rogers got hit in the face by a softball during practice for her other sport and will likely be out another week, and Alex Kohler might return next week from her Achilles strain.
It is the fourth season in a row that Walk has had 10 or fewer players available at some point in the season. In the past, the Lady Raiders have struggled to be competitive when short-handed. On Tuesday, All 10 active players scored, six in double figures, and everyone played at least 16 minutes.
Three Rivers was plus-21 on points off turnovers, plus-23 on rebounds, had a 59 percent effective field goal percentage and 45 points off the bench.
Kaylee Heggemann replaced McDaniel in the starting lineup and scored seven of the Lady Raiders' first 10 points. It was part of a 30-3 opening run by the Lady Raiders, who led 60-26 at the half.
"She got tired. She was carrying us," Walk said of Heggemann.
Three Rivers forced 26 turnovers leading to 36 points, several of them during a sprint in the second quarter when Ge'Naisha Robinson scored 10 straight. She led the team with 26 points on 11 for 17 shooting. Joya Smith added a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, plus four blocks.
"It was a breath of fresh air," Walk said of having a deep bench. "That's what college athletics is supposed to be about. You're playing 10 kids ideally and the kid you're putting in is just as good or maybe even better than the one you're taking out each time. That really gets in to see how good their ninth, 10th, 11th kid is. Hopefully down the stretch in Region XVI play that will show up."
Five minutes into the game, Jay Perry scored for her first points since tearing her ACL in January 2015. She added a three-point play on the next possession and finished with 12 points, five rebounds and an assist over 18 minutes.
Despite returning eight players and all five starters, albeit with one injured in McDaniel, the freshmen contributed 35 points. Markeia Porter and Crane led the group with 10 points each. Porter, who was 5 for 5 shooting, was also a rebound shy of a double-double. Crane led the team with six assists and was one of three Lady Raiders to nab three steals.
"So far, they've lived up to my expectations. Now we're going to start to push them," Walk said of the freshmen.
Added Crane, "I think coach Walk knew what he was doing when he recruited us. We fit in. I feel like we came in and we fit in really well with this team. We know our roles."
Heggemann, after her fast start, grabbed 10 rebounds and finished a free throw away from a double-double.