Roadrunners took the top seed to overtime in Region 16 tournament semifinal

February 22 Missouri State University-West Plains at West Plains

The fifth seeded SFCC Roadrunners began the Region 16 tournament with a 96-63 victory over the fourth-seeded Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzlies on Tuesday night, Feb. 22, in West Plains.

SFCC jumped out to an early 9-4 lead with less than 18 minutes remaining in the opening half. The Roadrunners shot a blistering 62% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. West Plains cut the Roadrunners halftime advantage to four points at 40-36.

SFCC continued their hot shooting in the second half and held the Grizzlies to only 27 points.

"We were able to start the game well," said Roadrunners Head Coach Matt Brown. "When you get to the playoffs, it is either win or go home. I thought our guys responded well. "

SFCC (15-14) had four players in double-figure scoring. Guard/forward Will Wilson led the team with 21 points. Wilson also led the team in steals with three and tied for the team lead in rebounds with six. Guard/forward Cam Tweedy contributed 20 points and tied for the team lead in rebounds with six and dished out a team-high four assists. Guard Chad Kratzer Jr. pitched in 18 points, including four three-point shots. Guard Yame Butler added 10 points.

February 25 Mineral Area College Jefferson City

SFCC (15-15) saw their season come to an end in a heartbreaking 72-70 loss to top-seeded and 18^th ranked Mineral Area College Cardinals in a Region 16 semifinal round game in Jason Gymnasium on the Lincoln University campus in Jefferson City on Feb. 25. The game was a battle that featured 24 lead changes and seven ties.

Mineral Area got off to a quick start leading 19-11 in the first half; it would be the largest lead held by either team.

SFCC took a 28-26 lead courtesy of a three-pointer from guard Jamar Madge Jr. with less than three minutes remaining in the half. Mineral Area would take a two-point advantage into the halftime locker room.

The game was tied at 63 at the end of regulation after both teams had opportunities to win the game but, could not convert. Mineral Area made just enough plays in overtime. SFCC missed a three-point shot as time expired.

"I thought we did everything we had to do to win the game," said Brown. "Mineral Area got an offensive rebound down the stretch. We had a wide open three-point shot that we missed. We had some good plays, but Mineral Area made a play at the end when they had a chance to, and we didn't. I was very proud of our guys. I thought we had a chance to win the game in regulation. We did a good job of controlling the tempo for the entire game. I told our team that if we kept Mineral Area in the 60s, we could win, and we sure had a chance to. I'm proud of our players, this is probably the best we performed all year. They did exactly what Coach Kingsley and I asked them to do."

Wilson and Butler tied for the team lead in scoring with 17 points apiece. Madge contributed 12 points and a team-high eight assists. Tweedy pitched in with 11 points. Forward Clance Crosby pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds and registered a team-high two blocked shots. Butler led the team with two steals.

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics