The Three Rivers Lady Raiders were intent on sending a strong message in their first matchup of the NJCAA Tournament against Monroe in Lake Charles, LA.
The Lady Raiders accomplished that goal, securing a 87-61 win over the Lady Mustangs to earn a matchup against Clarendon on Friday afternoon.
De'Naya Ross engineered the scoring early for the Lady Raiders, scoring four of the team's first eight points. In addition, Caitlin Lord found early success as well, getting easy baskets for the Lady Raiders as they took a 14-5 lead with five minutes left in the first quarter.
"I thought the girls came out with the right intensity, and we did a good job of turning our defense into offense," Lady Raiders head coach Alex Wiggs said.
Three Rivers leading scorer Samyah Jordan joined in on the fun, scoring her first basket of the day during the latter stages of the first quarter, and fellow freshman guard Londyn Harper nailed a three-pointer. Ytaly Lewis converted an easy layup for the Lady Raiders, expanding their lead to 23-8 after one quarter.
Lord continued to find success for the Lady Raiders in the post scoring a quick basket to extend her team's advantage to nearly 20 points. However, Monroe promptly responded, going on a 17-9 run in the middle portion of the second quarter to significantly trim into the Lady Raiders advantage.
The Lady Mustangs started to consistently get stops on the defensive end to baffle the Lady Raiders. Despite the problems, Three Rivers went on a run to end the first half, sparked by Ross and her team. At the halftime mark, the Lady Raiders led 48-28, one half away from clinching their spot in the second round of the NJCAA tournament.
In the third quarter, Monroe converted the first two baskets of the frame. However, Harper responded for the Lady Raiders by converting a layup and two free throws. Bri Jefferson sparked a 8-0 run for the Lady Raiders that shrunk TRC's advantage down to 12, but Lord and Jordan quickly helped extend that lead again with quick baskets. A Jefferson jumper helped cut the lead for TRC under 20, but the Lady Raiders still led 66-49 after three quarters of play.
In the fourth quarter, it was all business once again for the Lady Raiders, as freshman guard Amelia Corasaniti converted a layup, along with Ross and forward Kiera Neal nailing jumpers to push Three Rivers ahead 73-51. Another Jordan basket and several conversions from her teammates expanded the Lady Raiders' lead to 80-55.
The Lady Raiders finished off the job, securing a 87-61 victory to advance to the second round.
Liaudwin Seaberry Jr. - Daily American Republic
