Women's basketball game recaps Dec. 6 and 9

Dec. 6 Vincennes University at Sedalia

The Lady Roadrunners dropped a hard-fought 87-82 decision to the Vincennes University Lady Trailblazers from Vincennes, Indiana.

Vincennes led 28-16 at the end of one quarter. SFCC trimmed the deficit to 42-38 at halftime.

"We changed up our defenses," said Head Coach Kevin Bucher. "We hit some big shots and started to press full court and made them handle the basketball. I was very pleased with how the girls responded."

SFCC had opportunities to win the game, cutting the deficit to two points on several occasions late in the contest. However, the Lady Trailblazers made just enough plays for the victory.

"We would get the lead down to about three points and then we would have a turnover or take a quick shot," said Bucher. "We just need to continue to see improvement. Tonight, I thought we played well against a very good team."

Sophomore guard Ren'Cia Rolling led SFCC in scoring with 25 points. She knocked down six three-pointers and led the team in steals with four while playing all 40 minutes. Freshman guard Jazzmyn Elston contributed 18 points and tied for the team-high in rebounds with sophomore guard Maya Brewer and freshman guard Myka Mullin with seven rebounds each. Brewer dished out a team-high four assists. Freshman forward/center Michaela Bethel registered a team-high three blocked shots.

Dec. 9 Johnson County Community College at Sedalia

The Lady Roadrunners closed out the semester with a game against the Johnson County Community College Lady Cavaliers, ranked third in the NJCAA Division II Women's Basketball. SFCC used some heroics in the final seconds to earn a 79-78 victory.

The game was a back-and-forth battle the entire way featuring 10 lead changes and three ties. The largest lead held by either team was eight points.

SFCC jumped out to an early six to nothing lead using a pressure defense to force turnovers early in the contest. The Lady Roadrunners led by just one point at halftime 38-37. Johnson County took a five-point lead at the end of three quarters.

SFCC, trailing by two points, got the ball with under 50 seconds remaining. SFCC turned the ball over on the ensuing possession; however, the Lady Roadrunners continued to fight, cutting the deficit to one point with less than 10 seconds on the clock.

Brewer took the ball off an inbounds play and scored with about 0.8 seconds remaining to give her team a one-point advantage. Johnson County missed a shot, and SFCC emerged with a hard-fought victory.

"It was a nice way to finish off the semester," said Bucher. "We led JCCC in every category. We had some mistakes that could have cost us the game, but we came back and had a great defensive effort to force a five-second violation. We didn't give up. The players kept playing hard. I am very happy for them because we have played one of the toughest schedules that I've ever been a part of this semester. We've had a lot of injuries. It's a good feeling for them to be able to finish the semester and go home with a win."

Brewer recorded a double-double with 23 points and 11 rebounds and contributed five assists.Elston pitched in 15 points and led the team in steals with four. Rolling contributed 12 points and a team-high eight assists. Freshman forward Brionna Hill added 10 points.

The Lady Roadrunners (8-6) will now focus on academics as they finish the semester with finals. After a holiday break, they will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 6, at 2 p.m. against Johnson County, again, this time in Overland Park, Kansas.

David Rohrbach

SFCC Athletics