With a dozen players back from last season's national quarterfinalist squad, it is safe to say the Three Rivers College women's basketball team has a lot of depth on its roster.
That depth was on display Monday night at the Libla Family Sports Complex, as the Lady Raiders used a huge performance by their bench to turn a six-point halftime lead into an 80-49 win over the Northwest Mississippi Rangers.
The Three Rivers bench outscored the Rangers' reserves by a whopping 54-4 margin, including three players scoring in double figures. Sydnei Marshall came off the bench to score a game-high 14 points, while Laylah Reese added 13 and Bramyia Johnson finished with 10.
"Our bench play's been one of those things that has always been good about the teams that we've had here," Three Rivers coach Alex Wiggs said. "I think it says a lot about our kids and about their buy-in to this team."
Northwest (2-4) trailed just 39-34 after Layla Hampton's basket with 6:28 left in the third period, but Kaleigh "KT" Thompson answered on the Lady Raiders' ensuing possession, draining a 3-pointer from the top of the key just 12 seconds later. Thompson's triple spaked a 10-0 run which was capped by a Laylah Reese layup with 3:34 left in the period, making it 49-34 and giving the Lady Raiders some breathing room.
The Rangers did not give up, getting a 3-pointer from Aaliyah Taylor with 1:43 left in the third to cut the Three Rivers lead to 11 points (52-41) and trailing just 55-43 at the start of the fourth quarter.
However, the Lady Raiders opened the final period on a 9-0 run to push the lead to 64-43 on Brittani Wells' free throws with 6:10 left in the game. Northwest came no closer than 19 points the rest of the night and the Lady Raiders scored the game's final 12 points.
"I felt like we finally guarded there in the fourth quarter," Wiggs said. "Anytime you hit some shots, it makes our defense a little bit better. … I'm just really proud of the girls and the way that they stayed after it. They kept the pressure up and wore them down."
Thompson added 12 points for Three Rivers to join her three teammates in double figures. Reese added six rebounds, while Marshall blocked two shots and Thompson also had two steals.
Taylor paced the Rangers with 14 points, while Alorian Story added 11 and Hampton finished with 10. Hampton also added 10 rebounds for a double-double.
The Lady Raiders will be back in action Friday at 6 p.m. when they host Shelton State in one of the most-anticipated games of the year in women's junior college basketball.
Not only is it a battle of two top-10 teams — Shelton State is ranked sixth in the country in the NJCAA poll, while the Lady Raiders are seventh — but it is also a rematch of a second-round matchup from last season's NJCAA Tournament in Casper, Wyoming. Three Rivers won that contest 68-50.
Tipoff time Friday is set for 6 p.m. at the Libla Family Sports Complex.
"It's a great opportunity, just like the (Wabash Valley) game … to gain that experience and to face that national competition to see where you're at, what you need to work on where you stand," Wiggs said.
Mark J. Sanders - Daily American Republic