The Roadrunners lost to the Three Rivers Community College Raiders 91-56 Jan. 8 in SFCC's Region 16 opener at the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center. The game was also part of the Missouri Community College Athletic Conference schedule.

The Roadrunners found themselves in a 27-5 hole with about 10 minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the first half. Three Rivers led 51-26 at halftime and went on to secure the victory.

"Three Rivers came out and played hard," said Roadrunners Head Coach Kevin Thomas. "They got up on us early and caught us off guard. It was kind of a 'welcome to college basketball' moment for our guys. We settled in after the first eight or nine minutes, made some shots and got a few stops—but what really killed us was their rebounding advantage. We only managed one offensive rebound and they had 16."

Freshman guards Joshua Bailey and Spencer Ruckman tied for the team lead in scoring with 16 points apiece. Bailey also dished out a team-high four assists and led the team in steals with two. Freshman guard DaMario Walker pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.

The win was a historic one for legendary Three Rivers Head Coach Gene Bess, who notched his 1,200th career win. Coach Thomas played junior college basketball at Three Rivers.

"Coach Bess is one of the greatest men to ever coach," said Thomas. "That record alone says a lot about his longevity, and to have all those wins at one school is just remarkable. In all the years he's been coaching he's had the opportunity to touch a lot of people. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be here. Coming out of high school Three Rivers was my only scholarship opportunity and I like to think I made the most of it. Everything I have now is because of Coach Bess."

David Rohrbach
SFCC Athletics