Preview: Missouri State-West Plains at Mineral Area

PARK HILLS, Mo. (Interstat) — The Mineral Area College Cardinals, riding a four-game winning streak, will look to continue their momentum when they host the struggling Missouri State-West Plains Grizzlies in a men’s junior college basketball game Wednesday.

The Cardinals (14-6) have found success in close contests lately, including a 59-57 victory over Three Rivers on Jan. 31. They have dominated the recent series, having defeated the Grizzlies 94-74 in West Plains just three weeks ago on Jan. 14.

Mineral Area is led by guard Terron Garrett, who has been a consistent scoring threat. He posted 14 points in the win over Three Rivers and scored 15 points with four rebounds in the previous meeting against Missouri State-West Plains.

The Grizzlies (3-12) enter on a six-game losing skid, though they showed fight in a narrow 81-76 home loss to State Fair on Jan. 31. Forward Javon Barbee was a bright spot in that contest, recording a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Barbee will need another strong performance on the glass for West Plains to compete.

Mineral Area’s defense, which has held opponents to an average of 62.5 points during its current streak, will aim to contain Barbee and force turnovers against a Grizzlies team that has surrendered 90 or more points in four of its last five losses.

The Cardinals’ balanced attack, featuring contributors like Nazir Allen and Nassir Binion, contrasts with a West Plains squad searching for consistent secondary scoring behind Barbee and Tyrell Smith, who had 16 points in the last outing.

Wednesday’s matchup is the first of two scheduled meetings between the teams in February, with a rematch set for Feb. 25 back in Park Hills. Mineral Area will visit Moberly Area on Saturday, while Missouri State-West Plains hosts Three Rivers on Feb. 7.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Central at the Bob Sechrest Field House.