Roadrunners snap losing streak with overtime victory

Jan. 26 Moberly Area Community College at Moberly

The State Fair Community College (SFCC) Roadrunners lost a Region 16 and Missouri Community College Athletic Conference game 92-56 to Moberly Area Community College in Moberly Wednesday night, Jan. 26.

The Greyhounds got out to an early 14-9 lead with 15 minutes remaining in the opening half. The Greyhounds used stifling defensive pressure to push the advantage to 22-9 with about 12 minutes remaining before halftime. Moberly took a 47-26 lead into halftime.

"Moberly outplayed us from the beginning of the game to the end the game," said Roadrunners Head Coach Matt Brown. "Our guard play needs to improve."

Freshman forward Kingsley Ijeoma led SFCC in scoring with 14 points and tied for the team lead with Cam Tweedy in rebounds with four. Freshman guard Chad Kratzer Jr. registered a team-high five assists and led the team with two steals.

The Greyhounds are receiving votes in the NJCAA Division I Men's Basketball Poll this week.

Jan. 29 Missouri State University-West Plains at Sedalia

SFCC (13-10, 2-6 in Region 16) picked up a Region 16 and Missouri Community College Athletic Conference overtime victory 97-94 over Missouri State University-West Plains inside the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center on Saturday night, Jan. 29. The victory snapped a five-game losing streak for the Roadrunners. The Roadrunners honored their sophomores at halftime of the women's game.

SFCC took a 37-30 lead into halftime. The Roadrunners pushed the advantage to 58-44 in the second half. West Plains fought all the way back to tie the game at 78 to force overtime after the Roadrunners missed a shot in the final seconds.

SFCC capitalized in overtime with a pair of huge free throws by Uros Gatic, who got the start in the game.

SFCC was led in scoring by freshman guard/forward Will Wilson with 22 points. Sophomore guard Jamar Madge Jr. added 18 points, including several clutch free throws down the stretch of the game. Freshman guard Yame Butler pitched in with 15 points and a team-high five assists. Butler tied with Gatic for the team lead in steals with two. Kratzer Jr. also had 15 points. Tweedy added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Ijeoma led the team in blocked shots with two.

"I'm proud of our guys," said Brown. "It was a good win. It was Region 16 play. We had a lot of different guys step up and make contributions tonight."

David Rohrbach

SSFCC Athletics