Roadrunner men run away with win

State Fair Community College freshman Dominique Newton almost won Friday’s game against Forest Park by himself.

Newton scored a career-high 22 points in the SFCC men’s basketball team’s 91-68 victory over the St. Louis community college in the first round of the State Fair Community College Classic.

Missouri State-West Plains beat the Westminster junior varsity 88-45 in Friday’s other men’s game at the Fred E. Davis Multipurpose Center.
Newton, a freshman from Raytown, scored 13-straight points for the Roadrunners in the first half.

“Dominique played really well tonight,” State Fair assistant coach Kevin Thomas said. “He ... made baskets and plays for us. If it weren’t for him, the game would’ve been a lot closer than it was.”

State Fair stumbled out of the gate, falling behind 13-7 following Ryan Hill’s putback, Khari McFagdon’s 3-pointer and Isaac Moore’s basket.
Hill led Forest Park with 13 points, and McFagdon had 11.

The Roadrunners missed four-straight free throws, as Forest Park erased a 4-0 lead and pulled ahead 6-4.

Baskets by George Williams and Filip Toric opened a 20-0 run that propelled the Roadrunners to a 27-13 lead.

Williams scored 14 of his 15 points in the first half.

Newton’s fast-break basket tied the score at 13 with 12:34 left in the first half, and he scored on another fast break to give the Roadrunners a 15-13 advantage, a lead they never relinquished.

Newton created his own offense with a steal and a layup, then he nailed a 3-pointer for a 20-13 lead.

After Mersad Ramic missed two free throws for Forest Park, Newton sank a jumper and scored on a putback.

Williams finished the run with a 3-pointer with 8:59 left.

Timothy Kiewel, a 6-10 sophomore from Lima, Ohio, played big down low during that stretch, helping State Fair run its fast break.

“He got some big rebounds and got some good outlet passes,” Thomas said.

The Roadrunners led 50-31 at halftime.

Justyn Watkins, who missed much of the first half after drawing two fouls, scored a pair of baskets to start the second period.

Dominic Williams made a basket and a free throw and Clifton Fleming had a steal and a layup, as State Fair pulled ahead 59-31.
Williams finished with 12 points.

That’s when the game became sloppy, as Forest Park outscored the Roadrunners 37-32 the rest of the way.

“This wasn’t really a good performance defensively or offensively,” Thomas said.

Kiewel helped State Fair keep pace, scoring 11-straight points — his only points of the game — for his team.

The Roadrunners (5-1) will host the Westminster junior varsity at 7:30 p.m. today. West Plains will face Forest Park at 3:30 p.m.