The Mineral Area Cardinals secured a vital victory against the Three Rivers Raiders on January 31, 2026, in Park Hills, Missouri. With a score of 61-53, the Cardinals regained the top spot in the Region 16 standings, leveraging a strong defensive performance that limited their opponents to just 30 percent shooting.
Maki Joyner was a standout player, contributing significantly off the bench with a season-high of 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting. His contributions helped the Cardinals maintain control throughout the game, as they never trailed and effectively clinched a potential tiebreaker by winning two out of three meetings against the Raiders.
Nassir Binion played a crucial role defensively, notably shutting down Three Rivers’ leading scorer, Matt Hampton. Although Hampton recorded a team-high seven assists and rebounds, he struggled offensively, finishing with only four points after making just 2-of-9 free throws and 1-of-11 from the field.
Mineral Area’s offensive strategy proved effective, highlighted by Terron Garrett’s performance, in which he scored 10 points and provided seven assists. The Cardinals shot an impressive 48 percent from the field, despite facing challenges from the Raiders, who managed 15 offensive rebounds.
The game began with a modest 10-1 run from the Cardinals, with Joyner quickly establishing himself by sinking three 3-pointers. A layup from Joyner extended the lead to 15-3, and he later hit another long-range shot to put the Cardinals ahead 22-10. However, Three Rivers fought back, narrowing the gap to 30-25 by halftime.
As the second half commenced, Davin Francis of the Raiders made an early impact with a 3-pointer. Binion responded with a conventional 3-point play, and center Ngundeng Ruey, who recently returned from injury, showcased his defensive skills by blocking a layup attempt. He also added a turnaround jump hook to increase the Cardinals’ lead to 47-40.
The Cardinals continued to extend their advantage, with Garrett assisting Kevin Nunez in the paint and Edwon Duling Jr. hitting a long-range shot to make it 53-41 with 7:13 remaining. Despite the Raiders’ efforts, including Drew Ward’s 13 points and a brief surge to cut the deficit to 55-51, they could not capitalize on their final chances from beyond the arc.
In the closing moments, the Cardinals secured the victory when Garrett found Nazir Allen for an uncontested dunk, sealing the game with 21 seconds left. Allen contributed significantly with seven rebounds and equaled Duling with seven points.
Mineral Area improved its season record to 17-10 overall and 7-3 in the region. The Cardinals will next host MSU-West Plains on February 3 before a challenging matchup against Moberly on February 5. The Raiders, now at 19-9 and 7-4 in the region, will need to regroup quickly and address the turnover margin, which favored them at 13-11 despite the loss.
