(West Plains) After falling to second-ranked Mineral Area the night before, the MSU-West Plains Grizzlies bounced back strong in the rematch Saturday night at the West Plains Civic Center. But it wasn’t quite enough as the Cardinals won again, 90-79.
After falling behind 9-0 to start the game, Grizzly coach Jared Phay called time-out. The Grizzlies then outscored the Cardinals 23-19 and trailed at the half, 27-23.
Early in the second half, the game remained tight with the Grizzlies leading by as much as 3 points. As the second half moved on, the Cardinals regained the lead with the inside play of 6-7 sophomore Malevy Leons and outside shooting of J.P. Robinson. Robinson connected on a pair of back-to-back 3-point shots to give the undefeated Cardinals the lead for good.
Both teams had to deal with foul trouble. The Grizzlies played most of the game with sophomore point guard Martaveon Jones on the bench. Usually a double-digit scorer, Jones finished the game with just 2 points.
The bright spot of the evening was the outstanding play of Grizzly freshman Sebian Dillard who finished with a career high of 23 points. The Lexington, Kentucky, native kept the Grizzlies in the game with his hot shooting. Sophomore Tre Breland added 19 for the Grizzlies. Malevy Leons led the winners with 23 points.
After the game, Grizzlies coach Jared Phay said he was pleased by his team’s effort.
Next up for the Grizzlies will be the Region 16 Tournament semi-finals Friday night at Park Hills where they will face Moberly. Game time is 5 pm.
