Feb. 28 Missouri State University-West Plains at West Plains

The fifth-seeded State Fair Community College (SFCC) Roadrunners opened the Region 16 Tournament with a 73-60 victory over the fourth-seeded Missouri State University-West Plains Grizzlies in West Plains on Tuesday, Feb. 28.

SFCC (10-20) trailed West Plains 26-20 with about nine minutes remaining in the opening half. SFCC got their offense going and closed the half on a big run to lead 39-32 at halftime.

The Roadrunners used their defense to take control of the game early in the second half. SFCC went on a 16-5 run to begin the half. SFCC only allowed three made baskets by the Grizzlies in the first 10 minutes to put the game out of reach. The Grizzlies made a run late in the game to try to get back in the contest but, the Roadrunners held them off to secure the victory.

Freshman guard Devon Ellis led the team with 20 points on 10 of 14 from the field. Sophomore wing/forward Dalton Gayman scored 19 points and tied for the team lead with five assists, along with sophomore guard Jules Bikoy. Freshman guard Tazir Smith scored 14 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

March 3 Moberly Area Community College at Jason Gymnasium in Jefferson City

SFCC (10-21) saw their season come to an end with a Region 16 semi-final 77-52 loss to the top-seeded and the fourth ranked team in the country, Moberly Area Community College at Jason Gymnasium Jefferson City.

Moberly stormed out to a 12-2 lead with under 14 minutes remaining in the opening half and led 42-24 at halftime. The Greyhounds kept the intensity up in the second half to secure the victory.

"I thought early on we got really good shots right at the basket," said Roadrunners Head Coach Matt Brown. "We just didn't make them. We got down 12-0. It is really hard to come back against a team like Moberly, who is only getting better. I think they'll have a chance to compete for a National Championship."

Freshman guard  Josh Barlow tied for the team lead in scoring with Bikoy with 12 points each. Freshman guard Trey Jones, Smith, and Gayman tied for the team lead in rebounds at six. Bikoy dished out a team-high three assists. Jones and Smith tied for the team lead in steals with two each.

"There is no reason for us to hang our heads," said Brown. "I thought we played our best basketball in the last 10 days. This has been a difficult season with me being gone every week for the last seven months. It is probably the most challenging season that I have had in my life. I told our guys how much I appreciate them. Sometimes in life, there are more important things than basketball."

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics