Grizzlies fall to Roadrunners

The Missouri State University-West Plains (MSU-WP) Grizzly Basketball team almost went into its second overtime game of the week Wednesday night in Sedalia.

But two last-second free throws by Naysean Baisy of State Fair Community College sent the Grizzlies home with a 65-67 loss to their Region 16 counterparts.

The Grizzlies now stand at 13-6 for the season and 5-4 in Region 16 play.

Grizzly Basketball Head Coach Jared Phay said the loss shouldn't impact the standings for the Region 16 Championship Tournament. The Grizzlies have secured a second or third seed, he added.

MSU-WP took the court Wednesday without two of its leading scorers, freshman guard James "Scooter" Williams and sophomore point guard Martaveon Jones.

"They have been playing a lot of minutes for us, and I just felt like they needed rest to get ready for the upcoming games against Mineral Area College and the region tournament," Phay explained. "At the same time, it was an opportunity to get other guys some game experience."

Freshman guard Sebian Dillard took full advantage of that opportunity, leading the team on the scoreboard with a season high 15 points.

"Sebian showed us he can help us down the stretch," Phay said.

Sophomore forward Nico Hill also scored 15 points to co-lead the Grizzlies in scoring.

Sophomore guard Byron Breland added 8 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the game.

Up next

The Grizzlies return to the road Friday for the first of two back-to-back games against the nation's second-ranked junior college team – the Mineral Area College (MAC) Cardinals.

Friday's game will tip off at 7 p.m. in Park Hills. It was rescheduled from March 10 due to inclement weather.

On Saturday, the Grizzlies will host the Cardinals in MSU-WP's annual homecoming game. It, too, will tip off at 7 p.m. in the West Plains Civic Center. Saturday's game will be the last game of the 2021 regular season.

"Mineral Area is undefeated at 18-0 and very good," Phay said. "It is unique how our schedule worked out, but it also was the only way we could play them with it being fair for both teams."

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