Men's Basketball take on Southeastern CC, Allen CC and Independence CC

Nov. 13 Southeastern Community College at Sedalia

The State Fair Community College (SFCC) Roadrunners fell 63-59 to the Southeastern Community College Blackhawks from West Burlington, Iowa on Tuesday, Nov. 13 inside the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center.

Southeastern led the game 20-9 with eight minutes and 15 seconds remaining in the first half but surrendered that lead to the Blackhawks 31-23 at halftime. The game featured eight lead changes and six ties.

The SFCC defense applied pressure to cut the deficit to four, at 36-32 with less than 15 minutes remaining in the second half. Sophomore guard/forward Caleb Coleman of Hammond, Indiana tied the game at 57 with less than two minutes remaining. However, Southeastern made just enough plays down the stretch to secure the road victory.

"We have to be able to make a layup," said Roadrunners Basketball Coach Matt Brown. "You have to be able to make free throws and you can't turn the ball over 20 times. That was an ugly game and we had a chance to win, but the bottom line is that they made one more shot than we did down the stretch."

Coleman registered a double-double for the Roadrunners with 23 points and 12 rebounds leading the team in both categories. Freshman guard Damaria Franklin of Chicago, Illinois added 11 points and tied the team in assists with sophomore guard Dewayne Charles of Kansas City, Missouri with four each. Coleman and freshman forward L.J. Bryan of Chelteham, Maryland tied for the team lead in blocked shots with two shots each.

SFCC shot 36% from the field in the game and 58% from the free-throw line.

Nov. 16 Allen Community College at Sedalia

The State Fair Community College (SFCC) Roadrunners opened up their portion of the SFCC Classic on Friday, Nov. 16 falling to the Allen Community College Red Devils from Iola, Kansas 74-72 inside the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center.

The back-and-forth contest featured 19 lead changes and nine ties. SFCC trailed 45-36 at halftime. The Roadrunners fought their way back to tie the game at 70 with less than three minutes remaining in the game. The Red Devils and had a one-point lead with 19.8 seconds remaining in the game and made the plays in the final seconds to preserve the victory.

Coleman led SFCC in scoring with 24 points and pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Franklin contributed 13 points. Bryan pitched in with 11 points and a team high four blocked shots. 

Freshman wing Maurice Murray of Sicklerville, New Jersey added 10 points. Sophomore guard Josh Humphries of Tampa, Florida dished out a team-high five assists, while Sophomore guard Dru Smith of Kansas City, Missouri registered a team-high three steals.

SFCC shot 46.6% from the field in the game and 51.7% from the free-throw line.

"I think our free throw shooting comes down to repetition and confidence," said Brown. "That is something that we continue to work on in practice."

Nov. 17 Independence Community College at Sedalia

The Roadrunners closed out their portion of the SFCC Classic on Saturday, Nov. 17 with a heartbreaking 62-61 loss to the Independence Community College Pirates in the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center.

The game featured lead six changes and five ties. Independence stormed out to a 20-7 lead in the first half, before SFCC climbed back into the game with a 33-31 lead at halftime.

Murray knocked down a huge three-point shot in the second half to tie the contest at 61, but the Pirates hit one of two free throws in the waning seconds to secure the victory.

"We were able to fight our way back in the game," said Brown. "We just needed someone to make a play at the end the game."

SFCC (3-5) was led in scoring by Murray with 18 points. Freshman wing Malcolm Townsel of Evanston, Illinois tossed in 15 points. Coleman pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. He also led the team in steals with three. Humphries dished out a team-high four assists.

SFCC will return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 20, when they host North Arkansas College. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics