Grizzlies come up short against Three Rivers; play St. Louis CC tonight at civic center

Earlier this season, the Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Basketball team brought home a road win against Three Rivers College, 100-90.

On Monday night, the Raiders returned with a vengeance, defeating the Grizzlies 106-88 on their home turf.

"The difference between those two games is that Three Rivers played harder and shot it better," Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Jared Phay said. "I felt like we played hard but just didn't shoot as well. We just have to keep learning, and we don't have time to dwell on things with so many games coming up in a short amount of time."

Three Rivers, now 8-4, shot a staggering 16 of 34 from the three-point line and out rebounded the Grizzlies 54-32. 

Despite the setback, Phay pointed out that the Grizzlies are still a great team. Freshman guard James "Scooter" Williams led the Grizzlies with 23 points. Sophomores Byron "Tre" Breland and Jesse Zarzuela added 15 points each for the Grizzlies, who fall to 7-4 on the season. 

"I really like how hard Scooter plays. He's someone we can rally behind," Phay said. "We have to give a lot of credit to Three Rivers, because they're a very talented team and they have all the pieces." 

The Grizzlies and Raiders will meet for a third time on March 15 at Poplar Bluff. 

"This will be a battle," Phay said. "We will take things from this loss and learn from them, just like Three Rivers did from their loss."

Hosting the Archers tonight

The Grizzlies will host St. Louis Community College at 7 p.m. today, March 3, at the West Plains Civic Center. 

"Our plan against St. Louis is for us to focus on improving our rebounding," Phay said. "We can't give up too many offensive rebounds and expect to win games. We also need to move the ball better." 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, seating will be limited at the game, and social distancing and masking will be required throughout the event for everyone age 10 and above, Phay reminded. Children age 2 to 9 are highly recommended to wear a mask, he added.

Those planning to attend should have their masks on when they enter the civic center. Masks will need to remain on throughout the game.

Ushers will be available to answer questions, and signage will be placed to help with seating. Every other row will be blocked off and three seats will be required between groups if seated in the same row.

For more information about the Grizzly Basketball program, visit www.msuwpgrizzlies.com or call 417-255-7991.