Haith Sharp in Tuneup for Wednesday's Showdown at Central Carolina
The Sandhills Community College basketball team prepped for Wednesday's 7 p.m. Region X conference showdown at Central Carolina CC by defeating the Francis Marion junior varsity 93-76 in Florence, SC on Monday.
The Flyers (8-4)led by as many as 30 points in a game they matched a season-high with 24 assists while also logging 12 steals and seven blocked shots. Donnie Haith led the way with 19 points, four assists and three steals.
Chase Morrisette-Barnett, Calvin Ahoume and Sayaun Dent chipped in with 12 points apiece.
Central Carolina (8-3) has won seven games in a row. The Cougars lead NJCAA Division III in assists per game (25.4) and are third in points per game (101.2). Both teams are 1-0 in the three team conference.
"We've got today to prepare," Flyers' Coach Mike Apple said on Tuesday morning. "I told the guys they will feel a lot of energy from Central and to prepare for what a big game this is going to be. It's a battle for first place on their home court with very important ramifications down the road."
The Flyers built a 75-45 lead against a Francis Marion team that led Division I Brunswick CC most of the way last Thursday before falling 100-95. The Flyers host Brunswick (9-1) on Saturday at 3 p.m.
"We paid attention to playing defense a lot better and I think our team as a whole made a conscious effort to pass the ball," Apple said. "We played 35 minutes of pretty good basketball, but we got a little sloppy toward the end. We still had too many turnovers."
The 19 points by Haith matched his Flyers' career-high. He was 8-for-11 from the field, including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. The sophomore point guard by way of Pinecrest High School leads the team in scoring (12.7 ppg), assists (2.7), steals (1.7) and three-point baskets (17).
"Donnie is shooting the ball from distance as good as he ever has and that's certainly helping us right now," his coach said.
Sandhills – Morrisette-Barnett 4 4-4 12, Haith 8 0-0 19, D. Davis 2 0-0 4, Ahoume 5 2-2 12, Walker 4 0-0 9, Ratliff 0 0-0 0, Grissett 1 2-2 4, Sexton 2 1-2 5, Bryan 1 0-0 3, Smith 2 0-0 5, Dent 5 2-6 12, Allmond 2 0-0 4, Williams 0 0-0 0, E. Davis 2 0-0 4 Totals 38 11-16 93. Francis Marion – Simon 2 1-2 5, McGirt 7 3-7 19, Middleton 3 0-0 8, Buford 6 1-2 15, Jones 5 7-8 19, Green 1 0-0 2, Jackson 3 0-0 7, Martin 0 1-2 1 Totals 27 13-21 76. Three-point goals: SCC 6 (Haith 3, Walker, Bryan, Smith); FM 9 (McGirt 2, Middleton 2, Buford 2, Jones 2, Jackson).
by Charlie Bergmann
photo by Donna Ford