Five Three Rivers College men's players finished in double digits, and the Raiders coasted to a 90-69 victory over Missouri-West Plains.
The scoring started with point guard Matt Hampton, who accumulated 20 points for the Raiders. Post player Manuel Cambona finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, Drew Ward scored 12 points, and Josiah Cotto and Tristin Fleming each had 10.
"We spread the ball around well, and we stayed with what we do," Kirby said. "They tried pushing Johann Pautsch away from the basket early, but we were able to respond and adjust accordingly."
With the win, the Raiders improved to 16-5 on the season.
Ace Evans led the Grizzlies with 23 points off the bench, while Domani Bailey added 13. Guard Tyrell Smith added 12.
Things started well, as Ward and Hampton set the tone offensively for the Raiders. TRC also established a level of physicality during the contest that the Grizzlies were unable to match.
Pautsch also set the tone on the glass, as he finished the night with seven points and nine rebounds.
Ward nailed several three-pointers to get TRC a double-digit advantage heading into intermission. His shooting abilities, along with Hampton's driving, opened up lanes for the post players to dominate, and the Grizzlies didn't have any answers despite their plethora of three-pointers.
In the second half, TRC really started to stretch their wings, as Kirby's crew started to flex their muscles defensively and in transition. Numerous steals led to points, and many of the TRC scorers were crafty enough to maneuver through traffic to produce.
The shots continued to fall at a steady rate for the Raiders, and they were able to add in a few players that previously missed games due to injury. Easton Evans and Davin Francis were two such players who saw action in their return.
Kirby said those players were still trying to get their feet under them.
"We had some guys come back from injury, and we made it a priority to get those players some minutes to get their feet wet again," he said.
Despite the Grizzlies nailing several three-pointers to make the score closer in the second half, the Raiders still managed to win 90-69. Kirby complimented his team's performance.
"It's satisfying to see our team come together as a unit and play well," he said. "The effort and intensity were really there tonight, and that's something we will need to carry over into our other games."
Saturdays contest at Moberly has been rescheduled to February 2nd due to the winter storm coming in over the weekend so the Raiders will next play on Wednesday at home against State Fair.
Liaudwin Seaberry Jr. - Daily American Republic
