Lady Roadrunners Sweep Dale Howard Classic

The 13th-ranked Lady Roadrunners won both their games in the Dale Howard Classic Nov. 20-21 in Iowa Falls, Iowa. SFCC (10-1) opened its portion of the classic on Friday by defeating the North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) Trojans from Mason City, Iowa, 83-81. The Lady Roadrunners extended their win streak to eight games on Saturday with a 62-39 victory over the host Ellsworth Community College Panthers. 

The Lady Roadrunners found themselves in a battle with NIACC and trailed most of the game. They got a basket from sophomore guard Zhanesha Dickerson in the final seconds to emerge with a victory. 

"North Iowa jumped out to an early 16-2 lead," said Lady Roadrunners Head Coach Kevin Bucher. "They played a really up-tempo game. Our conditioning really paid dividends at the end. We were down 10 points with less than two minutes left in the game. Zhanesha scored with about two seconds remaining. We were fortunate to come back; we never gave up and just kept fighting." 

Dickerson registered a double double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Thelma Williams contributed 14 points along with freshman forward Kiante Johnson. Freshman guard Alexis Cowan pitched in with 13 points and led in steals with five. Sophomore guard Sierra Clayborn added 11 points. 

Saturday the Lady Roadrunners closed their portion of the classic, holding Ellsworth to 39 points. The Panthers' point total was the fewest given up by the Lady Roadrunners this season. 

"We led the whole game," said Bucher. "Ellsworth is struggling a little this season. We got to play everyone in this game." 

Sierra Clayborn scored 17 points for SFCC. Alexis Cowan contributed eight points. Johnson added seven. The Lady Roadrunners forced 28 turnovers and out-rebounded Ellsworth 46-24. Williams pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Alexis Cowan dished out a team-high three assists. Sophomore guard Seara Clayborn registered a team-high five steals. 

"We were able to come away with two wins this weekend," said Bucher. "We know we have to continue to get better." 

SFCC will play in the Moberly Classic Nov 27-28. SFCC will take on Highland Community College-Illinois on Friday and Rock Valley College on Saturday. Tipoff both days is scheduled for 1 p.m. 

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics