The third-seeded Roadrunners got off to a slow start in the opening minutes of the Region 16 Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game trailing 6-0 with just under 17 minutes remaining in the first half. SFCC (19-10) lost to the fourth-seeded Moberly Area Community College Greyhounds on Saturday, Feb. 27, at the Ozark Christian College Multipurpose Building in Joplin by a score of 92-81.
"Our guys tried to compete, but they just couldn't get over the hump" said Roadrunners Head Coach Kevin Thomas. "Moberly had been playing at a high level throughout the last two or three weeks and they continued throughout the tournament. We got off to a slow start, and they were able to build a lead. We cut it to eight points at halftime, but in the second half Moberly got their rhythm going again and kept us at bay."
Freshman guard Willie Jimerson Jr. led four Roadrunners in double-figure scoring with 22 points. Sophomore guard Ronnie Rousseau III contributed 17 points. Freshman guard Craig McKenzie Jr. pitched in 12 points and pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds to finish his double-double. He also made a team-high four assists and a team-high three steals. Sophomore forward Clint Robinson added 11 points and a team-high four blocked shots.
Coach Thomas was pleased with the contributions of the sophomores during their time at SFCC.
"Last year was a really tough year for the program," said Thomas. "Our sophomores stuck it out and came back for another year. At times, this year, we beat some good teams and competed at a high level. Hopefully, this year will lay the building blocks to get us back to the national tournament. It was sad that we fell short, but this is our third Region Tournament championship game appearance in the last six years. It was good to be back in the game, even though it is our goal to make it to the national tournament. I'm very thankful for our sophomores. They definitely helped get the program back on the right track, and hopefully we can build on it for next year."
Rousseau was named the Player of the Year for the region and First-Team All-Region 16. Robinson also earned First-Team All-Region 16 honors. Jimerson was named Honorable Mention All- Region 16.
David Rohrbach
SFCC Athletics