By GARY DOVE
for the Daily Telegraph
BRADSHAW – River View senior Tyree Baker scored 34 second half points to lead the Raiders from a 32-16 halftime deficit to a 59-55 thrilling victory Friday night over Mount View’s Golden Knights.
Baker was held to only four first half points before exploding in the second 16 minutes, knocking down seven trifectas, including one at the 2:52 mark that tied the game at 50 and was launched closer to the half court line than the three point arc.
The win was the Raiders’ seventh in nine outings, while the setback was Mount View’s seventh, also in nine games. Five of those seven Knight losses have come by a total of 15 points.
The Golden Knights put together a near-perfect opening quarter, sinking 7-of-15 shots from the field, 4-of-4 from the charity stripe and outrebounding their hosts 15-6 during that stretch to held a 20-4 advantage heading into the second period.
River View hurt itself, turning the ball over four times before taking its initial shot of the contest.
Sophomore De’Moni Edwards scored six in the inaugural frame, with junior Ellis Bryson adding four.
After a 9-4 advantage, the Knights scored the final 11 points of the quarter.
Mount View senior Kenneth Brown’s four second chapter points helped build that 32-16 lead at the break.
The Raiders made but 4-of-25 first half shot tries, or 16 percent. They only connected on 1-of-14 from behind the three point arc.
The third was an entirely different story, as River View outscored its guests 23-8, trailing by only 40-39 after three.
Baker heated up, scoring 16 in that eight minute span, including a three from the front with 49 ticks showing to propel the Raiders into their first lead, albeit a short one, of the evening at 39-38.
Kenneth Brown’s deuce with 19 seconds left eased the Knights back into the lead.
Over the first half of the final frame, Mount View outscored the Raiders 10-2, to go up 50-41.
The last four minutes of the game, Baker took control, scoring 18 points in that stretch to secure the win.
He started with a trio of treys to knot the count at 50 with 2:52 left before Edwards broke the string with a free throw.
Baker scored on a put back for the final of three lead changes, before sinking one free throw, knocking down his eighth and final three.
Over the final 26 seconds, a pair of Jaquane Imes short-range buckets cut the deficit to 3 each time, but Baker finished the win with two foul shots in two different trips to the charity stripe.
Assessed Mount View head coach Gary Brown, “We played with a lot of intensity and heart, I thought, the first half. The second half, they (Raiders) took theirs up. And we didn’t match it…I saw quite a few loose balls that we didn’t go get, and they got them.”
“That’s been our story all year. We play well enough to win the game, but we can’t finish it. Until we learn to finish the game, this is going to keep happening,” continued Brown.
River View third year head coach Roger Hale talked about what was said in the Raider dressing room at halftime, “I wanted to gather my thoughts. I went into my office. When I went in our dressing room, our heads were down…We had a little message this evening (before the game) about pride and I asked them if we wasted time talking about pride, and they responded in the second half.”
“I don’t think we could have played or shot any worse the first half. We just told them to go out and keep doing what we know they can do.”
Edwards led the Knights with 13 points, followed by Kenneth Brown’s 12 and Imes’ 10. Both Brown and Imes collected 10 rebounds apiece.
Baker was the lone twin digit scorer for River View, while senior Jonah Baker paced the Raiders with 10 rebounds, including 10 in the deciding second half.
Besides outscoring the Golden Knights 43-23 in the second half, River View outrebounded them 24-13.
Mount View will return home to entertain Wyoming East Tuesday, while the Raiders will face Lincoln County in River View’s Martin Luther King Showcase Monday at approximately 3 p.m.

at River View High School
MOUNT VIEW (2-7)
Sidney George 2 0-0 4, De’Moni Edwards 4 3-4 13, Kenneth Brown 4 4-7 12, Jaquane Imes 4 2-2 10, Ellis Bryson 3 0-0 6, Steven Brown 1 0-0 2, Marquis Bonds 2 0-0 4, Kobe Brown 1 0-0 2, Joseph Hayes 1 0-2 2. Totals 22 9-15 55.
RIVER VIEW (7-2)
Todd Coeburn 3 2-2 9, Jonah Baker 0 0-4 0, Brian Mitchell 1 2-3 4, Ronnie Morgan 1 0-0 2, Tyree Taker 12 6-9 38, Jonathan Hatcher 2 2-2 6. Totals 19 12-20 59.
Mount View.......20 12 8 15 — 55
River View..........4 12 23 20 — 59
3-point goals: MV 2 (Edwards 2); RV 9 (Baker 8, Coeburn 1). Fouled out: Imes, Bryson. Technicals: none. JV—RV wins 41-39.