The 23rd-ranked Lady Roadrunners shook off a sluggish start Nov. 15 to defeat the Independence Community College Lady Pirates from Independence, Kansas, 80-61 to close out their portion of the Stone Laser Imaging Classic at the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center.

SFCC (8-0) picked up the tempo of the game in the final minutes of the first half to help secure the victory.

"Independence was running a zone defense with some man-to-man principles," said Lady Roadrunners Head Coach Kevin Bucher. "We were able to beat them in the corners and take the ball hard to the basket. We shot a lot of free throws in the first half. We needed to get the game to our tempo."

Sophomore center Alecia Cooley led a balanced attack with 18 points, pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and led the team in blocked shots with four. Freshman guard/forward Zhanesha Dickerson contributed 12 points. Sophomore guard Sannayyiah Johnson added 10 points. Freshman guard Desirea Coleman pitched in with nine points and a team-high five assists. Sophomore guard Derriel Banyard and freshman guard Alize' Lofton registered eight points each. Freshman guard Maura Skidmore led the team in steals with five. Cooley and Johnson were named to the All Classic Team. Johnson was named Classic Most Valuable Player.

"I was very pleased with Sannayyiah's play and the way Alecia helped out inside," said Bucher. "They were both deserving players."

SFCC will play in the Hutchinson Classic Nov. 21-22 in Hutchinson, Kansas. The Lady Roadrunners will take on a pair of ranked teams beginning with the host Hutchinson Community College at 5:30 p.m. Friday. On Saturday the Lady Roadrunners will play Seward County Community College at 1:30 p.m.

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics Department