Hey, sports fans,
Basketball’s regular season is winding down, and both AC teams picked up some big wins this week. In addition, the Lady ‘Runner softball team earned a win over a nationally ranked team, and a Roadrunner hoop star saw his name land on a very prestigious list.
Here’s a quick rundown of the week’s events, along with what’s coming up next:
No. 14 Roadrunner Basketball Takes Two More Conference Wins
The Roadrunners, still sporting their No. 1 defensive team in the nation title, pushed past both opponents this week, holding off Coastal Bend CC on Wednesday by a 46-44 final and beating Kilgore College 59-51 Saturday in Kilgore.
In Wednesday’s win, Jordan Mathews led AC with 12 points, with Kanaan Holder and Christian Jones adding 10 points each.
Against Kilgore, Chris Carpenter hit for 16 points, Mathews finished with 13 and Holder added 12. Daemon Ely ripped down 15 rebounds against the Rangers.
On Wednesday (3/5), AC (24-5, 17-4) will host Lamar State College-Port Arthur at 7:30 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium in the regular-season finale. The team will honor its sophomores in a Sophomore Night ceremony prior to tipoff.
AC’s Jones Named Among JUCO Top 50
There are more than 6,000 players participating in junior college basketball nationwide.
Angelina College’s Christian Jones can count himself among the best of them.
Jones, a freshman from Bishop Montgomery High School in Los Angeles, recently was named to the JUCO Fab 50 Freshman list.
Jones leads all of Region XIV in three-point shooting, converting 45.2 percent of his attempts. He’s leading the ‘Runners in scoring with a 10.2 points-per-game average.
Lady Roadrunner Basketball Splits Conference Games
The Lady Roadrunners cruised to a big 81-32 win over Coastal Bend CC at home on Wednesday, with three AC players ripping the nets for 21 points each: India McMahon, Alecia Rivera-Scott and Lanaijha Johnson. Shanice Ferguson chipped in with 13 rebounds, and Taegan Moore added eight points.
AC’s ladies fell in Tyler on Saturday, dropping a 71-43 decision to the Lady Apaches.
The Lady Roadrunners (11-15, 4-9) on Wednesday will host Panola College at 5:30 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium in the regular-season finale. AC’s ladies will honor their sophomores in a pre-game Sophomore Night ceremony.
Lady Roadrunner Softball Picks up Big Win
The Lady ‘Runners faced the 9th-ranked team in the nation in a two-day, home-and-home quadruple-header, first in Athens on Wednesday and wrapping up Thursday in Lufkin.
AC’s ladies held their own despite dropping the first three games, but on Thursday, the team picked up arguably the best win of its season, beating the Lady Cardinals 5-4 behind a three-run homer from Katherine Page and a strong pitching performance from Aubrey Graham.
Jessi Sumpter also drove in a run in the win.
Graham went the full seven innings in the circle, allowing just three earned runs.
On Sunday at home against Bossier Parish Community College, the Lady Roadrunners again pulled off an early-season version of an upset. In the doubleheader’s opener, the two teams stayed locked in a scoreless tie until the bottom of the seventh, when Riley Davila (who was 3-for-4 in the game) drove a hard single to centerfield to score pinch runner Youna Pean in AC’s 1-0, walk-off win over the Lady Cavs. Madison Johnson and Graham teamed up in the circle to hold the hard-hitting BPCC lineup to just three hits and no earned runs.
BPCC took the nightcap, rallying for a 6-4 win despite a two-RBI game from AC’s River Hulsey.
With Monday’s scheduled home stand against Navarro College postponed until later, the Lady Roadrunners (7-15) next will open conference play in a home doubleheader Wednesday against San Jacinto College. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. at the Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex on the AC campus.
The Lady ‘Runners will wrap up the week with a home twin bill against Baton Rouge Community College starting at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 8.
AC Baseball Drops Conference Games to Navarro, Panola
The Roadrunners experienced a tough start to conference play this week, with AC losing both games against Navarro College (20-9, 16-9) on Wednesday and dropping both ends of Saturday’s doubleheader (10-7, 11-3) at Panola College.
Stefano Ramos homered and Connor Ficarro drove in three runs against Navarro. At Panola on Saturday, Diesel Gonzalez finished with two RBI.
The Roadrunners (7-11, 0-4) hit the road to Tyler Junior College on Wednesday to face the Apaches in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m. AC then travels to Paris to face Paris Junior College on Saturday in a twin bill set for a 1 p.m. start.
Region XIV Basketball Tournament Information
The Region XIV Conference Basketball Tournament will take place at Lee College in Baytown, Texas this year, with men’s and women’s teams vying for berths in their respective national tournaments.
The 2025 version of the tourney is scheduled to tip off its opening round on Tuesday, March 11 and will conclude with the championship games on Saturday, March 15.
Final seedings for the tournament won’t be announced until after the regular-season finales on Wednesday, March 5. If the season ended today, the Roadrunner men would enter the tourney as the No. 2 seed in Region XIV; AC’s guys would earn a first-round bye and play their first game on Thursday, March 14.
The Lady ‘Runners would enter the tourney as the No. 6 seed, with their opening game taking place on Wednesday, March 13.
Once the tournament link is updated with correct information, fans will be able to find it here in the next AC Athletics Weekly Updates.
Lady Roadrunner Soccer Hosting ID Camp
The Lady Roadrunners’ ID camp takes place from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 8 at the AC Soccer Complex on the AC campus. The camp is for prospective players in 9th through 12th grades. Cost for the camp is $30 if players register by Feb. 21. After Feb. 21, the cost will be $50.
Here’s the link for registration and other information for both Soccer ID camps:
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/mens-soccer-camp-collection-3998183
AC’s Camp Roadrunner Sessions Set for Summer 2025
Over the past few years, Camp Roadrunner has become a “gotta do” event for youngsters throughout East Texas, with the recreational and youth sports camps drawing bigger crowds every summer.
To view the available sports camps and locate the links for registration, visit https://www.angelina.edu/camproadrunner/ and look for each specific sport.
Following are the dates for each Youth Sports Camp:
Baseball: June 2-5
Soccer: June 9-12; July 7-10
Basketball: June 9-12
Softball: June 9-12
Live Streaming Reminder:
All AC Athletics regular-season home games will be live streamed on TSBN Sports (a free streaming service for fans), with most of the conference road games also available for streaming. (This does not include baseball and softball fall games, as those are not considered official games.)
Once TSBN posts its schedules, AC fans simply need to visit the AC Athletics web site, look at the scrolling schedule in the middle of the page and click the blue “Video” link.
TSBN also offers an app great for smart phones, devices and smart TVs. (You’ve GOT to see those matches and games on the big screen.)
Reminder II: Admission to ALL Angelina College Athletics sporting events is free, as is the TSBN live streaming. Any other links offering streaming are scams.
Reminder III: For the most current schedule updates (especially for potential weather issues) visit the official Angelina College Athletics website (angelinaathletics.com). Fans can also receive updates on the AC Athletics Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), and Instagram pages.
Upcoming schedules:
Wednesday, March 5:
Roadrunner Baseball at Tyler Junior College, DH starting at 1 p.m. in Tyler.
Lady Roadrunner Softball vs. San Jacinto College, DH starting at 3 p.m. at the Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex on the AC campus.
Lady Roadrunner Basketball vs. Panola College (Sophomore Night), 5:30 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium.
No. 14 Roadrunner Basketball vs. Lamar State College-Port Arthur (Sophomore Night), 7:30 p.m. at Shands Gymnasium.
Friday, March 7:
Roadrunner Soccer at Oral Roberts University, 6 p.m. in Tulsa, Okla.
Saturday, March 8, 2025:
Roadrunner Baseball at Paris Junior College, DH starting at 1 p.m. in Paris, TX.
Lady Roadrunner Softball vs. Baton Rouge CC, DH starting at 2 p.m., Larry Phillips Family Sports Complex on the AC campus.
For any other information, contact Sports Information Director Gary Stallard at gstallard@angelina.edu.
We’ll see you at the games.
Gary Stallard
Email: gstallard@angelina.edu.
Phone: (936) 465-4614
