The Roadrunners sent a large crowd home happy on Saturday night, Feb. 20, from the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center on the Sedalia campus. SFCC (18-9, 4-4 in Region 16, 6-4 in the MCCAC) defeated the 13th-ranked Mineral Area College Cardinals from Park Hills by a score of 84-69 in a game that featured five ties and two lead changes. 

Sophomore forward Clint Robinson knocked down a pair of free throws with just over a minute remaining in the first half to give SFCC a 38-36 lead. Sophomore guard Joshua Bailey knocked down a big three-point basket to extend the advantage to 41-36. 

SFCC outscored Mineral Area by 10 points in the second half to emerge with a much needed victory. SFCC shot 85.3% from the free-throw line and 53.3% from the field for the game. 

Bailey tied for the team lead in scoring with 20 points including six of 10 from beyond the three-point arc. Freshman guard Willie Jimerson Jr. also contributed 20 points. Sophomore guard Ronnie Rousseau III added 19 points. Robinson pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Jimerson handed out a team-high eight assists. Robinson registered a team-high three blocked shots. 

"Mineral Area is a good team," said Roadrunners Head Coach Kevin Thomas. "They made shots early on in the game, but we were able to make shots to hang with them, and that was the difference in the game. Our defense was better in the second half. We were able to get defensive stops, force turnovers and finish in transition. We had a lot of positive plays from different guys." 

The Roadrunners locked up the third seed in the upcoming Region 16 Men's Division I Basketball Tournament at Ozark Christian College in Joplin. The Roadrunners and Cardinals will match up again in a semifinal on Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Ozark Christian College Multipurpose Building. Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m. 

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics