Lady Roadrunners sweep classic

The 18th-ranked Lady Roadrunners hosted the Stone Laser Imaging Classic Nov. 18-19 in the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center. 

On Friday night, the Lady Roadrunners (4-3) cruised to a 130-67 win over the Lady Raiders from Central Community College from Columbus, Nebraska. 

In the first quarter, SFCC trailed by 15 points, but chipped away at the deficit. With less than two minutes in the quarter, a layup by freshman guard/forward Catie Kaifes brought SFCC to within three points. At the end of the first quarter, the Lady Raiders led 21-20. 

"Our depth was key in winning this game," said Head Coach Kevin Bucher. "We went to a smaller lineup and constantly pushed the ball. We focused on getting easy transition baskets or getting to the free-throw line." 

Starting the second quarter, the Lady Roadrunners took control and outscored the Lady Raiders 27-11 to take a 57-32 lead at halftime. From there, the Lady Roadrunners cruised to the victory. The 130 points scored tied the team record for the most points in a game. Based on available records, they scored 130 points in a game during the 1998-99 season against Johnson County. 

Freshman guard Maya Brewer led four Lady Roadrunners in double figures with 32 points coming off the bench. She shot 12 of 18 from the field and six of six from the free-throw line. Brewer tied for the lead in rebounds with eight. Sophomore guard Danaé Cole contributed 25 points, produced five assists and tied with freshmen guards Ren'Cia Rolling and Takayla Gunter in steals with three each. Gunter also pitched in 24 points, pulled down seven rebounds and made four assists. Sophomore guard Ahjana Oakes added 16 points and tied with Brewer in rebounds with eight. Rolling lead in assists with eight. Every Lady Roadrunner who played in the game scored. As a team, 34 assists were generated. 

"That was a great win overall," said Bucher. "That is State Fair basketball; now we'll see if we can continue it." 

Saturday night SFCC defeated the Malcolm X College Lady Hawks from Chicago by a score of 101-32. Again, the Lady Roadrunners used a smothering pressure defense to force 16 turnovers in the first half and take a 50-9 lead into halftime. 

"We had good practices this week and that carried over to these games," said Bucher. "Whoever we put in played hard; there wasn't any let down. It was nice to see everyone take part in the victory." 

Gunter led four Lady Roadrunners in double figures with 19 points. She knocked down five out of five three-point attempts in the game. Kaifes contributed 14 points and tied with Brewer and Oakes in rebounds with eight each. Brewer and Oakes also scored 11 points apiece. Freshman guard Amani Williams lead in assists with seven. Cole and Brewer tied for the lead in steals with three each. Every Lady Roadrunner who played in the game scored. As a team, SFCC recorded 29 assists on 39 made baskets. 

The Lady Roadrunners were represented on the All-Tournament Team by Cole, Gunter and Brewer. Brewer earned the Most Valuable Player Award. All the awards were voted on by the coaches; and they could not vote for their own players. 

"Our All-Tournament Team members played well this weekend," said Bucher. "It's a tribute to them that the coaches from the other teams picked three of our players." 

The Lady Roadrunners will play again on Tuesday night, Nov. 22, when they take on the North Arkansas College Lady Pioneers. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in the Davis Center.   

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics