Risco defends Tri-County Crown playing with five

CARDWELL, Mo. - Just a few hours before the Risco Tigers were prepared to defend their title as the reigning Tri-County Champions, MSHSAA notified head coach Brandon Blankenship.

Three of his players were being forced to sit following an altercation during the semifinal game against Clarkton.

“There’s a MSHSAA rule about players leaving the bench during an altercation,” Blankenship said. “These players were on the bench when everything happened, and they weren’t really involved but they traveled a little too far from the bench for what MSHSAA deemed appropriate so they had to sit out today.”

Two players forced to sit were Risco’s top scorers, Sammy Smith and Owen Fortner. The third player was Clayton Godsey, a transfer post player from Clarkton, who has been a key instrument for the Tiger’s success in the paint this season coming off the bench.

Not only were the Tigers forced to sit three of their key players, but with an eight-man varsity roster, they were also forced to only play with five guys.

Seniors Landon Baker, Kadin Carlisle and Josiah Vazquez along with junior Eli Rodgers created a four-guard lineup, leaving senior Reiley Calvert as the only big man.

With these five guys playing the entire 32 minutes, they were able to defend Risco’s Tri-County Championship title in a 68-60 win over the hosting Southland Rebels.

“I just told them to keep loving each other,” Blankenship said. “Really, I felt like whatever five guys I was left with to put on the court today, I would have confidence in them getting the job done. It could have been another three sitting and a totally different group of five playing, doesn’t matter. We have total confidence in the guys we put on the court.”

Blankenship admits, despite his faith in each player on his roster, playing with just five can present troubles still.

Along with being mentally tough enough to play all 32 minutes, they also had to stay out of foul trouble.

Overall, the Tigers were pretty successful defending without fouling as they recorded only five fouls throughout the competition. Even so, the majority of their fouls came in the second half, leaving them room to stay aggressive.

According to Blankenship, they were able to play smart and overcome the hurdles of playing with five due to their experience and being in tough situations.

“These guys work hard all year to be flexible and plug into any spot,” Blankenship said. “It was just a result of the preparation they’ve done all season.”

The other challenge was playing on the home floor of the Southland Rebels, surrounded by the opposing team’s fans.

Even still, Rodgers said they still had a job to do. According to him, the adversity of losing three guys, playing a full 32-minute game with no breaks and the chants of the opposing chord all fed into their motivation to win.

“No excuses,” Rodgers said. “Our coach tells us that all the time, no excuses. We write on the board in our locker room and I feel like we lived that out. It’s in our culture and we get motivation from our fans and our haters. We hear it all and it just fuels the fire.”

Rodgers would finish with a game-high 20 points.

Despite the hostile environment, Rodgers said they felt the full support and faith from their fans. More importantly, they felt the impact of their teammates on the bench.

“We just put our head down and pushed through,” Rodgers said. “But out guys who were on the bench and could play, they were in the game just as much as they would have been if they were playing. They were hyping us up and giving us love, they really kept us going.”

His game started with scoring only four points in the first quarter. The Tiger relied heavily on the scoring from Baker, as Baker and Rodgers were the only two players to score in the first quarter, leading to a 12-10 lead over the Rebels.

However, at halftime, their two-point lead was diminished to an even score as the teams went into the locker room tied at 29.

Southland’s Lonnie (Trace) Gibson would help keep his team in contact with eight first-half points.

Yet, Risco has proven to be a team hard to beat in the second half. They regained a small lead in the third behind the defensive efforts of Carlisle and Vazquez in the backcourt, forcing many turnovers and grabbing numerous steals.

Then, in the fourth quarter, they outscored the Rebels 21-15 for their eight-point victory.

“Again, our biggest thing is our experience and being in big games,” Blankenship said. “These guys have won a lot of Championships and have been in a lot of championship games in which they come out winners. That experience helps them know the level of effort we need to be playing at down the stretch.”

This win lifts the Tigers to 21-2, continuing a 13-game win streak dating back to December.

Blankenship said he was proud of the guys who played for pushing through the adversity and finding a way to win. Even more so, he was proud of Smith, Fortner and Godsey for their energy and team spirit. He said they prove they don’t have to be on the court to have a winning mentality.

“They handled the whole thing like champions,” Blankenship said. “They brought energy, cheering for their teammates all night long.”

As Rodgers held the game-high, Baker was right behind with 19 points and Calvert would finish with 15 points. Carlisle finished with eight points and Vazquez would round out with six points.

For the Rebels, Gibson was their main bucket, putting up 14 points. Braylan Cox and Jeremiah McMinn both had 12 points each while Elijah Finkbeiner would finish with 10 points.

Now, the Tigers will close out their last week of the regular season with a home competition against the Hayti Indians on Feb. 18 and a road game at Senath-Hornersville on Feb. 21. Both of these games will start at 7:30 p.m.

Southland’s last game of the regular season will be at home against Portageville on Feb. 18, also with a 7:30 p.m. start.