Cardinals stifle Three Rivers, take over first place in region

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The Mineral Area Cardinals men's basketball team defeated the Three Rivers Raiders 61-53 in a key regional matchup. Mineral Area's defense held Three Rivers to just 30% shooting, with Nassir Binion shutting down the Raiders' leading scorer Matt Hampton. Maki Joyner came off the bench to score a season-high 20 points for the Cardinals, who regained first place in the Region 16 standings with the win.

Why it matters

This victory is crucial for Mineral Area's positioning in the regional standings, as they now hold the tiebreaker over Three Rivers after winning two of their three meetings this season. The Cardinals' stifling defense and balanced scoring attack proved too much for the Raiders, who struggled to find their rhythm offensively throughout the game.

The details

Mineral Area guard Maki Joyner came off the bench to score a season-high 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including three 3-pointers. Nassir Binion led the defensive effort, shutting down Three Rivers' leading scorer Matt Hampton who was held to just 4 points on 1-of-11 shooting. Mineral Area center Ngundeng Ruey also made an impact, blocking three shots and altering several others near the rim. The Cardinals shot 48% from the field and never trailed in the game, though Three Rivers did cut a double-digit deficit to just 55-51 late before Mineral Area sealed the victory.

• The game was played on Saturday, January 31, 2026.

What’s next

Mineral Area will host MSU-West Plains next on Wednesday before a key Saturday showdown at Moberly.