Roadrunners Escape with Round One Win

By GARY STALLARD

AC Athletics

BAYTOWN – For a long stretch in the second half, it appeared the Angelina College Roadrunners' stay in Baytown might be a short one.

The 'Runners withstood a blistering three-point barrage from Bossier Parish Community College, rallying late for a 69-62 win in the opening round of the Region XIV Conference Tournament Tuesday at Lee College in Baytown.

The Cavaliers hit 12 treys in the game, with Mazin Lumori accounting for four of those. BPCC used the hot shooting to overcome AC's early dominance: The Roadrunners led 30-15 to open the game and 39-26 by the end of the first half, showing exactly why the group recently finished as the No. 1 defensive team in the nation for the second straight season.

However, the Cavs' offensive surge midway through the second half erased the double-digit deficit, leading to a 60-52 Bossier Parish lead with just five minutes to play in the game.

The Roadrunners held it all together, getting big buckets from Kai'Ree Murray, Clarence Payia, Zacc Sells and Daemon Ely in the final minutes to eliminate the Cavaliers.

Payia led AC with 14 points and nine rebounds. Julius Crosby slashed his way to 13 points, while Sells and Jordan Mathews finished with 10 points each. The Roadrunners managed a crucial 17 points off the bench as compared to the Cavs' two.

Tony Montgomery scored 17 points to lead the Cavaliers.

The Roadrunners (19-12) next will face No. 3 seed Tyler Junior College (20-10) in Thursday's regional quarterfinals. Game time at Lee College in Baytown is 8 p.m.

The email address for AC's Sports Information Director is gstallard@angelina.edu.