Roadrunners Basketball Recaps Feb. 10-15

Feb. 10 Link Year Prep at Sedalia

The Roadrunners defeated the Link Year Prep Lions from Branson 78-65 on Monday, Feb. 10, inside the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center. SFCC shook off a slow start to take a 25-16 lead with under four minutes to go in the opening half.

The Lions put together a run to lead 30-29 at halftime. SFCC put together a much better second half to secure the victory, which was their third consecutive win.

"I think we were just a little bit rusty," said Head Coach Matt Brown. "We were able to drive the ball to the basket in the second half to get some layups. We were also able to get to the free-throw line. John (Egbuta of Bronx, New York) made some three-point shots tonight. Nate McClure (of Houston, Texas) also made some three-point shots tonight. I think it will help us tremendously if those guys can continue to make shots."

Sophomore guard Damaria Franklin of Chicago, Illinois, recorded a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds leading his team in both categories. He also dished out a team-high seven assists. Sophomore guard Malcolm Townsel of Chicago, Illinois, added 12 points. Sophomore guard Kailleb Walton-Blanden of Rapid City, South Dakota, led the team in steals with four.

Feb. 12 Missouri State University-West Plains at West Plains, Missouri

SFCC lost to the Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzlies 83-72 on Wednesday, Feb. 12, in a Region 16 and a Missouri Community College Athletic Conference game.

The Grizzlies led 46-30 at halftime. SFCC began the second half on a 9-2 run within the first three minutes to cut the deficit to 48-39.

West Plains pushed their advantage back to 17 with less than 11 minutes remaining in the game. The Grizzlies were able to secure the crucial victory.

Franklin led four Roadrunners in double figures scoring 19 points. He tied for the team lead in rebounds with eight along with redshirt freshman forward Dimitri Georgiadis of Richmond, Virginia. Franklin also tied for the team lead in steals with three along with Walton-Blanden. Walton-Blanden contributed 13 points and dished out a team-high three assists. Redshirt freshman forward Sarion McGee of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Egbuta added 10 points each.

"We started out a little slow in the first half," said Brown. "We played pretty well in the second half. We didn't shoot the ball well from the three-point line. We only shot 56% from the free-throw line as a team. John Egbuta gave us some good minutes."

Feb. 15 Moberly Area Community College at Moberly, Missouri

SFCC (14-12, 1-6 in Region 16, 3-6 in the in MCCAC) fell to the 24^th ranked Moberly Area Community College Greyhounds 95-86 on Saturday, Feb. 15. in Moberly. The game featured six lead changes and four ties and was part of the Region 16 and Missouri Community College Athletic Conference schedule for both teams.

The Greyhounds led 16-15 with about 13 minutes remaining in the opening half. Moberly extended the advantage to 49-34 at halftime.

SFCC fought back to cut the deficit to 58-51 with a 17-9 run to open the second half. However, Moberly had the answers down the stretch to secure the victory.

As a team, SFCC struggled from the free-throw line knocking down 11 of their 21 free-throw attempts. Franklin led the team in scoring with 40 points and pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. He tied for the team lead in steals with three. Walton-Blanden chipped in with 13 points and tied for the team lead in steals with three. Townsel added 10 points. Freshman forward Kohen Thompson of Memphis, Tennessee, dished out a team-high five assists.

"I thought we played really well, but we have to make our free throws," said Brown. "We were six for 16 in the second half. Moberly made their free throws, and we didn't, and they ended up winning by nine. I thought we competed well. We also rebounded well and handled their pressure. All of those things are things that Moberly is really good at. We just have to make our free throws."

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics