Jan. 17, Moberly Area Community College at Sedalia

The Roadrunners took on the Moberly Area Community College Greyhounds, ranked 19th in NJCAA Division I poll. The game was part of the Region 16 and the Missouri Community College Athletic Conference schedule. Moberly emerged with a hard-fought 80-77 victory in front of a large crowd at the Davis Center.

The Greyhounds got off to a fast start leading 15-5 with less than 14 minutes remaining in the opening half. The Roadrunners went on a run to erase the deficit courtesy of a three-pointer from the far corner by freshman guard Dominic Fragola. He was fouled and went to the free-throw line but was unable to complete the four-point play. However, freshman guard/forward Caleb Colemangrabbed the offensive rebound and put it in the basket to take the lead 20-19. At halftime, SFCC led 41-31.

The Roadrunners built a 14-point lead at 55-41 in the second half. Nevertheless, Moberly chipped away and tied the game at 72 with less than two minutes remaining. Freshman guard Tim Leavellanswered with a basket and was fouled while shooting but was unable to complete the three-point play.

The Greyhounds hit a three-point shot on their final offensive possession. The Roadrunners had a chance to tie but missed a three-point shot as time expired.

"I was proud of our guys," said Head Coach Matt Brown. "Dom Fragola came in and made some good shots for us. Our defense was good. At the end of a game against a good team, we have to convert on the offensive end, make our free throws and layups and not turn the ball over. We missed a couple of easy shots. I give Moberly credit; they made a tough shot."

Freshman guard Tyreek Scott-Grayson and sophomore guard Andre (A.J.) Walker tied for the team lead in scoring with 16 points each. Walker dished out a team-high nine assists and led the team in steals with two. Coleman contributed a double-double with 15 points and a team-high 14 rebounds. Freshman guard Dru Smith pitched in 12 points, and Leavell recorded 10.

Jan. 20, Iowa Western Community College at Sedalia

The Roadrunners played the 17th ranked Iowa Western Community College Reivers from Council Bluffs, at the Davis Center. SFCC (15-4, 1-1 in Region 16, 3-1 in the MCCAC) emerged with a 102-91 upset victory in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd.

The Reivers took a 12-10 lead with less than 15 minutes remaining in the first half. SFCC went on a 52-29 run and held a 62-41 lead at halftime.

The Reivers put up a fight and outscored the Roadrunners 50-40 in the second half. However, the Roadrunners shot 83.9 percent from the free-throw line to secure the victory.

"We played eight guys tonight," said Brown. "All of them played significant minutes and were in foul trouble. That was probably the best team win that I've been around in years."

Scott-Grayson registered a double-double with 33 points and 15 rebounds, leading his team in both categories. Walker contributed 17 points, dished out a team-high seven assists and led the team in steals with three. Coleman pitched in with a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds and led the team in blocked shots with three. Brock scored 14 points.

"Our guys are resilient," said Brown. "All year long we had people doubting us … I think that we learned from the Moberly game. Tonight we made our free throws and rebounded."

The Roadrunners will play another nationally ranked team at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 24 when the Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzlies visit the Davis Center for an important Region 16 and Missouri Community College Athletic Conference game.

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics