Lady Roadrunners Basketball Recaps Jan. 7-12

Jan. 7 Missouri Baptist University Junior Varsity at Sedalia

The State Fair Community College (SFCC) Lady Roadrunners opened the second half of their season with an 81-77 victory at home over the Missouri Baptist University Junior Varsity Spartans.

The game featured six lead changes and seven ties. SFCC trailed 41-36 at halftime. The Lady Roadrunners used a big rally in the third quarter to retake the lead.

"We did a better job of playing defense," said Lady Roadrunners Assistant Coach Jade Perry. "I challenged our team at halftime to have more pride at the defensive end of the floor. We were able to put the first half behind us."

Perry coached the team in the absence of Head Coach Kevin Bucher.

Freshman guard/forward Darlisha Reed of Gary, Indiana led her team in scoring with 27 points. She also pulled down 13 rebounds for the double-double. Sophomore guard/forward Nadia Thorman-McKey of Evanston, Illinois recorded a double-double with 26 points and 14 rebounds. She also recorded two blocked shots. Sophomore guard/forward Connor Watkins of Charleston, Missouri added 14 points and 11 rebounds to record another double-double. Freshman guard Ryann Haynes dished out a team-high eight assists and recorded two steals leading her team in both categories.

Jan.12 Three Rivers Community College at Sedalia

The Lady Roadrunners (6-12, 0-1 in Region 16, 2-1 in the MCCAC) opened the Region 16 portion of their schedule with a 95-73 loss at home to the Three Rivers Community College Lady Raiders from Poplar Bluff. The game was originally scheduled for Saturday, but moved to Sunday, Jan. 12 because of weather. The contest was also part of the Missouri Community College Athletic Conference schedule for both teams.

The Lady Raiders began the game with a 6-0 advantage that they would never relinquish. Freshman guard Paula Barrientos of Puerto Montt, Chile knocked down a three-point shot as time expired in the second quarter to trim the deficit to 43-41. Three Rivers outscored SFCC by three points in the third quarter. The Lady Raiders used their depth to outscore the Lady Roadrunners 36-19 in the final quarter to secure the victory.

Thorman-McKey put together a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds. She also dished out a team-high six assists to lead her team in all three categories. Haynes and Reed scored 12 points each. Haynes registered a team-high three steals.

"We were in striking distance until the fourth quarter," said Bucher. "Three Rivers is able to rotate a lot of players and has a lot of size. We just got worn down. For the most part, it was a great game. It was a fun game for the fans to watch. Everyone played and contributed and that's what we are going to have to have to keep us in ballgames."

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics