The 13th-ranked Lady Roadrunners avenged their only loss of the season Nov.16, defeating the Butler Community College-Kansas Grizzlies from El Dorado, Kansas, 66-56 at the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center on the Sedalia campus.

SFCC (8-1) got its offense going early thanks to a pair of three-point shots from sophomore guard Sierra Clayborn. The Lady Roadrunners pushed the lead to 12-1 with fewer than four minutes remaining in the first quarter.

"We came out with the intensity we needed from the start of the game," said Lady Roadrunners Head Coach Kevin Bucher.

SFCC took a 31-21 lead into halftime. However, Butler outscored SFCC 21-11 in the third quarter to tie the game at 42. SFCC made the plays down the stretch, including big baskets from freshman forward Kiante Johnson and sophomore forward Thelma Williams in the fourth quarter to emerge with a victory. SFCC outscored Butler 24-14 in the final quarter.

"We did a great job defensively in the fourth quarter," said Bucher. "We let Butler drive a little bit, but we were still able to react on defense. The big key was our rebounding advantage."

Williams led four Lady Roadrunners in double-figure scoring with 15 points and made 11 of her 13 free-throw attempts. Williams and sophomore guard Zhanesha Dickerson tied for the team lead in rebounds with seven each. Sierra Clayborn contributed 14 points. Johnson pitched in with 12. Freshman guard Danae' Cole added 11 points. Freshman guard Alexis Cowan dished out a team-high two assists. SFCC out-rebounded Butler 50-38 and the Lady Roadrunners shot 75 percent as a team from the free-throw line.

SFCC will travel to Iowa Falls, Iowa, Nov. 20-21 to participate in the Dale Howard Classic. The Lady Roadrunners will take on North Iowa Area Community College at 2 p.m. Friday and Ellsworth Community College at 3 p.m. Saturday.  

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics