Dabney S. Lancaster Community College’s Men’s Basketball team split two games in their season openers on the road last weekend, according to Head Coach Brandon Garrett. The Roadrunners beat Mid-Atlantic Christian University’s Jayvee team in Elizabeth City, NC, 68-66, on Saturday, but lost to Johnston Community College in Smithfield, NC, 82-62, on Sunday.
“We didn’t play our best but we played good enough to get a win,” said Garrett about the first game. “We led most of the game but to their credit they stormed back and took the lead. I think that showed a lot of resilience by our club, a lot of confidence and what a great bonding experience to be down by three with 7.6 seconds left and win by two. Jaylon Hudson hit a huge three and Deondre Dabney had a steal and layup with one second remaining on the clock to seal the win.”
Ty Brown led the way for the Roadrunners with 20 points and 8 rebounds. Koty Baker finished with 12 points and Shawn Spinner, 11. Deondre Dabney had 8 rebounds and Jaylon Hudson helped with 3 assists.
In the second game, Garrett said the DSLCC men struggled to score in the first half. “Their length really hurt us,” he noted. “We got down early but continued to play hard throughout the game. We must do a better job converting at the free throw line. I think we can use this game as a learning experience to see what we need to do better at and how to play certain situations. It’s hard to duplicate game experience in practice.”
“ I think this game will make us better in the long run,” Garrett added. “We have a couple of tough games coming up, but I hope this helps prepare us for the next two.”
Jaylon Hudson led the way with 15 points, Deondre Dabney with 13 and Ty Brown with 12.
The Roadrunners’ next three games will be at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, NC, on November 8 and 9, and then against Bluefield (WV) State’s jayvee team on November 13. Dabney’s first home games will be held November 15 against Bryant and Straton (OH) College at 8 pm and November 16 at 2 pm against The Crown College from Powell, TN.
For more information on DSLCC athletics, including the full game schedule, at www.dslcc.edu/athletics.