Flyers Close Out Regular Season with Sophomore Day Victory
The No. 5-ranked Sandhills Community College Flyers clawed their way to a hard-fought 112-85 victory at home on Saturday afternoon, closing out the regular season in style on Sophomore Day.
They (Shooting 4 Greatness) are a scrappy team, and they have some good players. We played good team basketball tonight. I thought we moved the ball exceptionally well. We took advantage of their mistakes, and I think that really told the tale," Flyers head basketball coach Mike Apple said. "We took care of the basketball, made good passes and shots, and everybody got a chance to do things that we're pretty good at doing. We just gotta keep building."
With a packed crowd, including former players in attendance, the Flyers honored their three sophomores: Damien Robinson, Xavion White, and Mike Fee.
Both offenses started hot, trading baskets in the opening five minutes. With the score tied at 12-12, Sandhills put together an 11-4 run to pull ahead 23-16. Shooting 4 Greatness responded with a run of its own, trimming the Flyers lead to 34-26. However, Sandhills answered with a 14-0 burst, extending its advantage to 48-26 before taking a 63-42 lead into halftime.
The Flyers carried their first-half momentum into the second, maintaining control as Shooting 4 Greatness fought to stay in the game. Despite their efforts to chip away at the deficit, trailing 80-62 at one point, Sandhills closed strong to secure the victory.
"We got a lot of growth coming from a lot of guys. Kendall Smith has done a good job as a front guard. Damian has been on a great roll, Isaiah set the tone with the three-pointers, and Mylon Campbell came off the bench and gave us good energy. So, we got a lot of guys doing a good job," Apple said.
Robinson, who is averaging 19.3 points per game this season and recently surpassed 1,000 career points, finished his Sophomore Day performance with 15 points, 11 rebounds, and one assist.
"It felt good just to battle it out with my teammates and have the support in the stands from family and friends," Robinson said. "We came out fast, and we had one thing in mind, "that was to win and keep adding to the win column."
White, averaging 5.0 points per game this season, contributed 12 points and six rebounds in the victory.
"The support in the Hangar the last two years has been amazing. It feels like I've been here for four years with the way the support has been, so for us to come out and get a win on Sophomore Day means a lot," White said. "We just want to keep going. We try to make our practices harder than games that's the mindset. We're trying to win the tournament and be back here at home for the Districts."
Fee closed out his Sophomore Day with eight points, four rebounds, and two assists. He is averaging 6.2 points per game this season.
"It feels good, the atmosphere was amazing, and I'm just glad to have all my people in the crowd and feed off the energy," Fee said."We realize we have a target on our back, so we gotta go out there, play hard, and execute every night."
Kendall Smith led the Flyers with 20 points, while Zack Noel and Mylon Campbell each added 13. Isaiah Upchurch followed with 11, Kevin Gentry scored eight, Amarie Liburd had six, Nylikk Troutman chipped in four, and Jacob Grantham rounded out the scoring with two.
The Flyers wrap up the regular season with a 23-6 overall record and a 7-1 mark in Region 10 play. They will enter the Region 10 Tournament as the No. 1 seed, earning a first-round bye. The tournament will be hosted at Patrick & Henry next weekend.
Z. Ciboth