Jan. 22 Missouri State University-West Plains at Sedalia

The State Fair Community College (SFCC) Roadrunners lost a Region 16 and Missouri Community College Athletic Conference game 89-84 at home to the Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzlies on Wednesday, Jan. 22.

The game featured three lead changes and nine ties and SFCC trailed by 11 points in the first half. They stormed back to take a brief lead and trailed 41-39 at halftime.

The Roadrunners cranked up their defensive intensity to tie the game at 47 with about three minutes into the second half. The Grizzlies had an answer as they took a 10 point lead with less than nine minutes remaining in the contest and made the plays down the stretch to secure the victory.

"Honestly, we never should have been in that hole," said Roadrunners Head Basketball Coach Matt Brown. "When both teams are fighting for their first win in the Region, you can't take anything for granted. I think our guys came out a little too relaxed. West Plains got some big rebounds down the stretch where we would block out and they would get the rebound. They wanted the ball more than we did."

Damaria Franklin and Malcolm Townsel both of Chicago, Illinois led SFCC scorers with 24 points each. Franklin finished his double-double with 10 rebounds. Sophomore guard Kailleb Walton-Blanden of Rapid City, South Dakota contributed 16 points and tied for the team lead in assists with six along with Townsel. Freshman forward Kohen Thompson of Memphis, Tennessee added 10 points and two blocked shots. Townsel led his team in steals with four.

Jan. 25 Mineral Area College at Park Hills, Missouri

SFCC (11-10, 0-4 in Region 16, 2-4 in the MCCAC) fell to the seventh-ranked Mineral Area College Cardinals 85-57 on Saturday, Jan. 25 in Park Hills, Missouri. The Cardinals led 43-26 at halftime. Mineral Area had a 45-28 advantage on the glass to help secure the victory.

Townsel led SFCC in scoring with 15 points. Thompson pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and led the team in steals with three. Freshman forward Michael Wright of Chicago, Illinois dished out a team-high four assists and led the team in blocked shots with two.

"Mineral Area is a really good team, that is why they are ranked seventh in the country," said Brown. "They pass the ball well and they are a really good defensive team who competes at a high level - something that we're trying to do."

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics