MOBERLY, Mo. – Facing the undefeated Greyhounds, Three Rivers allowed 18 unanswered points to start the second half. The Lady Raiders didn't make a field goal in the third quarter and went from being nine points down at halftime to Moberly Area having twice as many points and the Greyhounds went on to win 81-49 on Friday. Three Rivers scored five points in the third quarter, its lowest scoring quarter or the season. The Lady Raiders shot 25 percent overall and 19 percent in the second half. "I told the kids, this is not who we are tonight," Three Rivers coach Jeff Walk said in a radio interview. "We can't score five points in the third quarter and expect to beat anybody." Moberly Area (9-0, 1-0 Region XVI) picked up its first double-digit lead of the game with the opening bucket of the second half, and then Angelica Wiggins followed with a 3. Next possession, Anisha George scored through a foul that was also Murry's fourth. Moberly Area kept rolling to the tune of an 11 point run to open the half and put the Greyhounds up by 20 and Walk called a timeout. The Greyhounds added six more unanswered points before Walk called another timeout. Sydni Williams eventually ended the 18 point run with a pair of free throws, but Three Rivers (13-6, 1-1 Region XVI) was down 25 points with 13 minutes left in the game. Three Rivers had laid an egg of a quarter where it was outscored 28- 5. In the three other quarters combined, Moberly Area won 53-44.

"We've got a great bunch of players. But it's kind of like herding cats and chickens," Walk said. Alex Kohler led all scorers with 16 points after making three 3-pointers. She was the only Lady Raider in double figures while Moberly Area had four players with 13 points in Wiggens, George, Carmethia Brown and Sentreal Gregory. After scoring the opening bucket, the Lady Raiders allowed an eight-point run before Dejah Malveaux sank a 3. The Lady Raiders soon retook the lead with a pair of trips to the foul line, Moberly closed the quarter strong, was up six at the buzzer and led the rest of the game. Three Rivers, already facing an opponent with a strong post game, took a blow when forward Kahlia Murry picked up her third foul in the first minute of the second quarter. Markeia Porter subbed in for her, and a minute later she picked up her third foul. Running out of forwards, Walk subbed in Malveaux, a 5-foot, 9-inch guard. A little while later, he continued using the small lineup by replacing Malveaux with Catera Sawyers, who is three inches shorter. Walk went around the locker room at halftime. The forwards were all in foul trouble and none of the guards were. "If you don't have two fouls at half you didn't play any defense," Walk said. Three Rivers was still able to keep pace and were down nine at halftime. Murry played 10 minutes after battling foul trouble and finished with one point. The Lady Raider bench, where depth and endurance have been a strength all season, had 21 points, with 16 of that coming from Kohler. Malveaux, who was 1  for 2 shooting, was the only Lady Raider to shoot 50 percent or better. The starting five were a combined 9 for 41 (21.9 percent). The forwards – Murry, Porter and Williams – scored seven points and had 13 rebounds. In their 76-57 road win over Mineral Area on Jan. 6, the trio combined for 30 points and 21 rebounds.

Scott Borkgren - Daily American Republic