HUTCHINSON, KANSAS – From a seventh-place prediction in October’s pre-season polls to the national tournament’s Elite Eight, the Angelina College Roadrunners spent an entire season proving wrong their doubters.
The magical season came to an end on Wednesday in a 79-70 quarterfinals loss to South Plains College, the nation’s eighth-ranked team.
The Roadrunners once again shook off a slow start after falling behind 14-4 in the opening moments, only to clamp down defensively to take control of the game for a long stretch. AC put together 11-0 run midway through the first half to carry a 36-33 lead into the half – a lead that would last nearly 25 minutes.
The ‘Runners maintained that control well into the second half, leading by as many as seven points.
Then the Roadrunner shots just stopped dropping.
AC’s guys suffered a nearly four-minute scoring drought while South Plains shooters found their own range, ripping off an 11-0 run of their own with fewer than five minutes remaining to close out the game.
Jordan Mathews led the Roadrunners in scoring with 16 points, while Chris Carpenter added 15 and Kanaan Holder 14. Christian Jones and Kyle Morgan finished with nine points each.
Caleb Blackwell led South Plains with 18 points.
The Roadrunners end their historic season – just head coach J.J. Montgomery’s third year at the helm – with a final record of 28-7 and some impressive milestones: They became the first Angelina College men’s basketball team to win a national tournament game, winning two, while advancing to the Elite Eight. The team also finished as the nation’s No. 1 defensive team, along with a No. 12 national ranking.
‘Runner sophomores playing their final games for Angelina College included Kanaan Holder, Chris Carpenter, Kyle Morgan and Boris Perucica.
The email address for AC’s Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.
