The Roadrunners opened their preseason schedule over the weekend with five victories at the Rocky Mountain Shootout in Colorado Oct. 11-12. The format for the event was two 20-minute running clock halves.

SFCC played McCook in their first scrimmage at the event. SFCC led at halftime 29-15 and won 53-28.

"We played a lot of different combinations in every game," said Head Basketball Coach Matt Brown. "We played all 12 guys in each half. We were pretty balanced in all of our games. I thought Damaria Franklin (Chicago, Illinois) and Kailleb Walton-Blanden (Rapid City, South Dakota) played well in that game. It was a good first scrimmage of the year for us after the long drive to Colorado."

In their second scrimmage, SFCC defeated the Toronto Basketball Academy 40-33. SFCC led 26-16 at halftime.

"John Egbuta (Bronx, New York) played pretty well in that scrimmage," said Brown. "Lual Akot (Ottawa, Canada) also played well. It was another balanced game. They (Toronto Basketball Academy) were a lot bigger team, but we were able to use our speed and athleticism to win the game."

SFCC defeated Casper 41-39. The game featured five lead changes. SFCC led 24-18 at halftime.

"Casper was our toughest game of the day," said Brown. "They were a national tournament team last year. They are really good, but we were able to find a way to pull out a win down the stretch. That was our best win of the event. I thought Damaria Franklin played well for us again, along with Lual Akot."

SFCC played Williston in the first game of day two. The Roadrunners were victorious, 36-25; it featured one lead change and four ties.

"We were really balanced in every game," said Brown. "I thought Malcolm Townsel (Chicago, Illinois) and Sarion McGee (Milwaukee, Wisconsin) played well for us in that contest."

SFCC closed the shootout with a victory over Miles, 53-52. SFCC erased an early deficit to lead 28-27 at halftime. The game featured 17 lead changes and six ties.

"Miles is a good team," said Brown. "The game went down to the wire. Dimitri Georgiadis (Richmond, Virginia) played his best game of the weekend. He had a couple of nice moves around the basket. Trent Lyles (Sedalia) played well defensively. We were fortunate to beat two teams that were in the national tournament last year, but more importantly, everyone got to play."

David Rohrbach
SFCC Athletics