Manor College won their second straight Roadrunner Classic this past weekend thanks to a 72-65 win over host RCSJ Gloucester.
Cheikh Diogne led three players in double figures for Manor, which built an early 20-point lead and held on to snap the Roadrunners' 6-game win streak.
Chris Racobaldo (18), Ace Lassiter (17) and Kassius Willis (15) were the leading scorers for the Roadrunners. Racobaldo and Lassiter were chosen for the Classic All-Tournament Team.
Click Here for Championship Game Photos
Classic Semifinal Round
Chris Racobaldo saw an opening. He decided to seize the opportunity.
Game over!!
The sophomore forward rushed downcourt, stopped just shy of the basket, and promptly sank the game-winning shot, lifting the Roadrunner Men's team to a dramatic 62-61 triumph over Williamson College of the Trades in a Roadrunner Classic semifinal game Friday night.
The win was the sixth straight for Coach Brandon Williams' team, who improved to 6-5 overall and will play Saturday afternoon for the Roadrunner Classic Championship.
"I saw the opening, and I knew I could make that shot," said Racobaldo, who is averaging 9.2 points per game and is one of the team's top defenders. "I let it fly and it was quite a moment."
The Runners moved out to a commanding 12-point lead in the first half at 24-12, and the game appeared be in their control. But the Mechanics closed out the first half with their own rally, moving to within three points. The second half proved to be a see-saw battle before Racobaldo settled the matter with his huge game-winning basket. Other key players throughout the contest proved to be the steady play of Ace Lassiter, Fred Orock and Kendall McCray.
"It was actually good to see how we handles adversity, especially in a close game against a good team," said Williamson. "This was a great test for us and might help us down the line.
The Runners improved to 6-5 overall with their sixth straight win. The Mechanics fell to 8-4 overall. The Runners will play Manor College, a winner over Bryant Stratton College, at 4:30 pm this afternoon for the Classic title.
Click Here for Photos of RCSJ vs. Williamson College of the Trades
Tournament Preview
The Annual Roadrunner Classic, which started in 1981, kicks off this weekend with the Men's Team opening with a semifinal round game vs. Williamson College of the Trades Friday in a 7 pm tipoff.
The Women's Roadrunner Basketball team meets Rowan Club Saturday in a 12 noon tipoff for the Roadrunner Showcase crown.
Tournament Preview - ROADRUNNER CLASSIC
Watch all the games live CLICK HERE!
Friday, December 6, 2024
Roadrunner Classic Semifinal 1 -- Manor College vs. Bryant Stratton, 5 pm
Roadrunner Classic Semifinal 2 -- Williamson Trade vs. RCSJ Gloucester, 7 pm
Roadrunner Classic Consolation, 2:30 pm Consolation Game Williamson Trade vs. Bryant Stratton
Roadrunner Classic Championship, 4:30 pm Championship Game Manor College vs RCSJ Gloucester
The Roadrunner Classic started in 1981 and has been played in most years since. Below is a record of the team champions, runner-up and tournament Most Valuable Player.
Year |
Champion |
Runner Up |
Most Valuable Player |
| 1981 | Gloucester County College | Fashion Institute | Charles Johnson GCC |
| 1982 | Gloucester County College | Delaware CCC | Anthony Chennault GCC |
| 1983 | Gloucester County College | Delaware CCC | Frank Brown GCC |
| 1984 | No Tournament | - | - |
| 1985 | Gloucester County College | Gloucester CC | Jacq Adgers GCC |
| 1986 | Gloucester County College | Delaware CCC | Brian Cooper GCC |
| 1987 | Gloucester County College | Camden CC | Bryant Watson GCC |
| 1988 | Gloucester County College | Camden CC | Willard Mack GCC |
| 1989 | Gloucester County College | Burlington CC | Carl Lancaster GCC |
| 1990 | Delaware Tech-Stanton | Gloucester CC | Lonnie McCoy DTS |
| 1991 | Gloucester County College | Delaware CCC | Damon Reid GCC |
| 1992 | Penn-State Delco Delaware | TCC | Dave Myer PSD |
| 1993 | Gloucester County College | Delaware CCC | Derrik Millhouse GCC |
| 1994 | Gloucester County College | Delaware CCC | Derrik Millhouse GCC |
| 1995 | Gloucester County College | Delaware CCC | Rob Rone GCC |
| 1996 | Gloucester County College | Delaware CCC | Richard Rivers GCC |
| 1997 | Gloucester County College | Montgomery-Rockville | Bobby Woolfolk GCC |
| 1998 | Gloucester County College | Montgomery-Rockville | Gregory Cannon GCC |
| 1999 | Gloucester County College | Montgomery-Rockville | Wykeen Kelly GCC |
| 2000 | Gloucester County College | Montgomery-Rockville | Charles Bostic GCC |
| 2001 | Gloucester County College | Montgomery- Rockville | Timothy Rawls GCC |
| 2002 | Gloucester County College | Montgomery-Rockville | Ricardo Good GCC |
| 2003 | No Tournament | - | - |
| 2004 | Gloucester County College | Philadelphia CC | LaDerrick McKinstry GCC |
| 2005 | Gloucester County College | Philadelphia CC | Mike McDonald GCC |
| 2006 | Montgomery-Rockville | Gloucester County College |
Herbie Spellman MCR |
| 2007 | Gloucester County College | Globe Tech | Shyheem Satchell GCC |
| 2008 | Essex CC | Gloucester County College | Allen Weathers ECC |
| 2009 | Burlington CC | Tompkins-Cortland CC | Rashon Bellinger, Burlington CC |
| 2010 | Burlington CC | Bergen CC | JD Holloway, Burlington CC |
| 2011 | Bergen CC | Burlington CC | Zach Anderson, Bergen CC |
| 2012 | Burlington CC | Gloucester CC | Chris Thompson, Burlington CC |
| 2013 | Gloucester County College | Burlington CC | Nick Lawson, GCC |
| 2014 | Rowan-Gloucester | Burlington CC | Adonius Melvins, RCGC |
| 2015 | Rowan-Burlington | Rowan-Gloucester | Marcus Bonnick, RCBC |
| 2016 | Williamson College of the Trades | Rowan-Burlington | Kevin Whitfield, Williamson |
| 2017 | Rowan-Gloucester | Rowan-Burlington | Chris Lyons, RCGC |
| 2018 | Rowan-Gloucester | Williamson College of the Trades | Ja'Zere Noel, RCGC |
| 2019 | Valley Forge MC | Williamson College of the Trades | Jayquan Williams, Valley Forge MC |
| 2020 | No Tournament | ||
| 2021 | Montgomery CCC (PA) | Manor College | Matt Compass |
| 2022 | No Champion | ||
| 2023 | Manor College (PA) | Ocean County College | |
| 2024 | Manor College (PA) | Rowan-Gloucester |
Rowan College Men's Basketball Champions
| 1981 | Jeff Tucker |
| 1984 | Trevor Gordon |
| 1989 | Willard Mack |
| 1994 | Marvin Stinson |
| 1997 | Spernser Poulson |
| 1998 | Rashaan Ames |
| 1999 | Wykeen Kelly |
| 2000 | Wykeen Kelly |
| 2001 | Tim Rawls |
| 2004 | David Watson |
| 2007 | Kyle Wakefield |
| 2018 | Ja'Zere Noel |