Roadrunners undefeated at Johnson County Jamboree

The Roadrunners basketball team traveled to Overland Park, Kansas, on Oct. 16 to participate in the Johnson County Jamboree. SFCC went 3-0 at the event. 

The format for the event consisted of two 22-minute halves. SFCC took on the host Johnson County Community College in their first scrimmage. The Roadrunners led 27-24 at halftime and defeated Johnson County 55-45. 

Sophomore guard Willie Jimerson Jr. led SFCC in scoring with 21 points. Freshman guard Onteral Woodson Jr. contributed 17 points and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Vonny Irvin had a team-high four assists and led the team in steals with two. The Roadrunners shot 51% from the field as a team and made 16 out of 19 free-throws. 

"Johnson County was a good test for us," said Roadrunners Head Basketball Coach Kevin Thomas. "They were a team that did a good job running their offense. Our guys had to sit down and guard. We got off to a sluggish start, but we were able to pull away in the last five minutes of the game." 

SFCC took on Southeast Nebraska in their second scrimmage of the day. The Roadrunners led 32-25 at halftime. The game featured five lead changes, but the Roadrunners won 53-50. 

Irvin led in scoring with 15 points. Woodson pitched in 14 points and three steals. Freshman forward Jamar Kemp grabbed a team-high six rebounds and sophomore forward Amir Smith added five. Sophomore guard Corey Mendez contributed a team-high five assists, and Jimerson added four. Smith registered a team-high three blocked shots. 

"Southeast Nebraska basically sat back in a zone defense the entire game," said Thomas. "That was a point of emphasis for us this week. We wanted to work on our zone offense. Our guys did a good job of attacking the zone defense. We had 16 assists and only six turnovers as a team in the game." 

SFCC took on Highland Community College-Kansas in their final scrimmage. The game was tied at 16 at halftime, but SFCC outscored Highland 30-12 in the second half for a 46-28 victory. Jimerson led in scoring with 15 points. Irvin pitched in nine. Smith pulled down a team-high six rebounds. Irvin and Jimerson tied for the team lead in assists with three. Kemp registered four steals. 

"We played well defensively, especially in the second half," said Thomas. "We struggled to score in the first half, but did a good job of taking care of the basketball with only 10 turnovers." 

Coach Thomas was pleased with many things he saw during the scrimmages. 

"We saw some growth as a team," said Thomas. "We did a better job of sharing the basketball. We just have to continue to get better as a team. We will play three quality teams next weekend to wrap up the preseason." 

SFCC will travel to the John A. Logan Jamboree on Oct. 23. SFCC will open the regular season Nov. 4 when they take on College of Faith as part of the McDonald's Classic. 

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics