Roadrunners Basketball Recaps Feb. 19-22

Feb. 19 Southeastern Community College at Sedalia

The State Fair Community College (SFCC) Roadrunners defeated the Southeastern Community College Blackhawks 72-64 on Wednesday, Feb. 19 inside the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center. The Blackhawks are receiving votes in the latest NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Rankings. The game featured three lead changes and one tie.

SFCC led 35-29 at halftime. The Roadrunners extended their advantage to a 13-point lead (68-55) in a span of 40 seconds to close out the contest.

"That was the best win that we've had all year," said Roadrunners Basketball Head Coach Matt Brown. "Southeastern has beaten a lot of good teams. I was really proud of our guys. I thought Dimitri Georgiadis (of Richmond, Virginia) gave us a good rebounding effort. Malcolm Townsel (of Chicago, Illinois) did a good job driving the basketball. Damaria Franklin of Chicago, Illinois made some great three-point shots. Nate McClure (of Houston, Texas) made a couple of three-point shots for us. Trent Lyles (of Sedalia) hit a couple big jump shots. It was a good team win for us."

Franklin led the team in scoring with 21 points and a team-high five steals. Townsel pitched in with 13 points. Kailleb Walton-Blanden added 11 points. Georgiadis pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds. As a team, SFCC recorded 22 assists on 28 made baskets.

The Roadrunners honored their sophomore class in a pregame ceremony.

Feb. 22 Mineral Area College at Sedalia

SFCC (15-13, 1-7 in Region 16, 3-7 in the MCCAC) lost 83-75 to Mineral Area College in a Region 16 and Missouri Community College Athletic Conference game on Saturday, Feb. 22. It was also Homecoming Night on the SFCC campus. The back-and-forth contest featured 15 lead changes and seven ties. The seven point lead was largest held by either team in the contest.

The Cardinals led 25-21 with about seven minutes remaining in the opening half. SFCC trailed by two points, 33-31 at halftime.

SFCC quickly erased the deficit out of the locker room with eight unanswered points. SFCC held a 45-40 lead with about 14 minutes and 30 seconds remaining in the game. The game was tied at 50 with under 11 minutes remaining in the contest. The Roadrunners turned up their defense in the closing minutes to force some key Mineral Area turnovers, but Mineral Area made just enough plays to escape with the victory.

Franklin led four Roadrunners in double figures with 20 points, including three big three-point shots to keep the game close. Townsel chipped in with 11 points and a team-high six assists. Walton-Blanden contributed 10 points and a team-high three steals. Georgiadis also registered 10 points and tied for the team lead in rebounds with eight, with freshman forward Kohen Thompson of Memphis, Tennessee.

"I thought our team played really hard," said Brown "I'm proud of the character they showed. We had a lot of good contributions tonight from a lot of guys."

SFCC will enter the Region 16 Tournament as the fifth seed. They will travel to West Plains on Tuesday, Feb. 25 to take on fourth-seeded Missouri State University-West Plains in the quarterfinal round.

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics