On March 3, the second-seeded Lady Roadrunners (19-9) saw a 16-point lead disappear in a tough 73-71 loss to third-seeded Crowder College Lady Riders in the semifinal Region 16 Division 1 basketball championship game at Lincoln University. 

As time expired in the first quarter, freshman guard Ren'Cia Rolling knocked down a three-point basket to give SFCC a 20-16 lead. The Lady Roadrunners led 39-28 at halftime. Crowder cut SFCC's lead to 53-47 in the third quarter using a full-court trap defense. 

In the final seconds of the game, Crowder gained a two-point lead. SFCC missed a three-point shot at the buzzer giving Crowder the win. The game featured eight lead changes and six ties. The Lady Roadrunners committed 19 turnovers in the game. 

"That was a heck of a ballgame," said Head Coach Kevin Bucher. "I give credit to Crowder. We didn't take care of the basketball and had too many turnovers, which is not characteristic for our team and that gave Crowder more opportunities to score." 

Sophomore guard Danaé Cole and freshman guard Maya Brewer led in scoring with 15 points each. Cole also dished out four assists. Sophomore guard Ahjana Oakes contributed 14 points. Sophomore guard Alexis Cowan pitched in 12. Rolling pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and led in assists with five. Cowan and Brewer tied for the lead in steals with three each. Freshman guard Amani Williams and sophomore center Kendra Boone recorded a blocked shot each. 

"This team has been one of my favorites to coach," said Bucher. "They're great young ladies and have been a pleasure to coach. We wanted the season to last a little bit longer, but sometimes you don't have that luxury. Our sophomores have had great careers here and have helped our program to be one of the elite programs. We're excited for them as they move on to other universities and look forward to seeing how they do." 

Alexis Cowan and Danaé Cole earned Missouri Community College Athletic Conference Women's Basketball All-Conference First Team. Freshman guard/forward Catie Kaifes, Maya Brewer and Ahjana Oakes earned second-team MCCAC honors. Cowan and Cole earned NJCAA Region 16 First Team honors. Kaifes and Brewer were named to the NJCAA Region 16 All-Region Second Team. 

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics