Men’s Basketball game recaps Nov. 21-25

Nov. 21, St. Louis Community College at Sedalia

The Roadrunners extended their winning streak to seven on Tuesday night when they defeated the St. Louis Community College Archers 87-43 in the Missouri Community College Athletic Conference opener.

SFCC started the game on a 13-0 run and never looked back.

"Our intensity level was good on the defensive end of the floor," said Head Coach Matt Brown. "We have several guys who can score; four of them scored double figures again tonight."

Sophomore guard Grant Gelon led the Roadrunners in scoring with 21 points. He knocked down six three-point shots and led in steals with two. Freshman guard Dru Smith contributed 15 points. Sophomore center Isaac Bassey registered a double-double with 14 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Freshman guard Tyreek Scott-Grayson chipped in 12 points and led in blocked shots with two. Sophomore guard Andre (A.J.) Walker dished out a team-high seven assists.

Nov. 24, Indian Hills Community College at Moberly Area Community College

The Roadrunners opened their portion of the Midwest Bone and Joint Center Classic against the sixth-ranked Indian Hills Community College Warriors from Ottumwa, Iowa. The Roadrunners lost the dynamic battle 91-89 on a tip in with no time remaining in the game.

"The Indian Hills game could have gone either way," said Brown." I was really proud of our men."

The game was a fight from beginning to end featuring 10 ties and seven lead changes. The Roadrunners came out of the gate firing on all cylinders with an 8-2 lead early in the contest. However, the Warriors stormed back and took a 13-11 lead with about 15 minutes, 30 seconds remaining in the opening half. The game went back-and-forth until late in the first half when the Roadrunners trailed 53-31. In the second half, the Roadrunners fought back to erase the deficit, took the lead and threatened the Archers' perfect record.

"Our men are resilient," said Brown. "We just kept chipping away. We held them scoreless for about six or seven minutes, and that brought us back into the game and enabled us to take the lead."

Freshman guard/forward Caleb Coleman made a free throw to give his team a 60-59 lead with about 12 minutes remaining in the contest.

The score was tied 89-89 when the Warriors got the ball with about 25 seconds remaining. They ran the clock down, missed a shot but scored on the tip in at the buzzer.

Freshman guard/forward LePear Toles led the Roadrunners with 26 points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. Freshman guard Tim Leavell pitched in 20 points and led in blocked shots with two. Walker added a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists and led in steals with three. Coleman registered 10 points.

Nov. 25, Highland Community College at Moberly Area Community College

After their first loss of the season to Indian Hills, the Roadrunners defeated Highland Community College Cougars from Freeport, Illinois, 92-85. SFCC led 49-40 at halftime. The Cougars opened the second half with a 7-2 run before the Roadrunners regained control.

"Highland is a good team," said Brown. "The day after a big game against Indian Hills, you kind of worry about whether your guys will be up and ready to play. It is kind of a gut check."

Walker led the Roadrunners in scoring with 28 points, finished his double-double with 10 assists and led in steals with three. Toles contributed 18 points and a team-high six rebounds. Scott-Grayson chipped in 12 points, and Coleman added 10.

"I was pleased with how our men played this weekend," said Brown. "I think we have a well-balanced team, and they are a lot of fun to coach."

The Roadrunners record stands at 8-1, 2-0 in the Missouri Community College Athletic Conference. SFCC returns to action in Harrison, Arkansas, at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 28, against North Arkansas College.

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics