Idlett Flirts with Triple -Double in Victory Over Francis Marion
Elijah Idlett came within one assist of posting a triple-double as the Sandhills Community College basketball team defeated the Francis Marion junior varsity 110-93 in Florence, SC on Thursday.
The sophomore wing was credited with 15 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. Teammate Sayaun Dent was 13-for-16 from the field and finished with a game-high 26 points. Winston Bryan, Derreco Miller and Tyrell Allmond chipped in with a dozen points each.
The No. 4 ranked Flyers improved to 17-2. They take a 1-0 record in Region 10 into Saturday's 3 p.m. conference game at The Hangar against Johnston CC (9-9, 1-1).
Sharing the basketball played a big part in a game that the Flyers led comfortably by a 58-39 margin at halftime. Other contributors in the assists department included Nathan Yow with seven, Bryan and Corry Addison with five each and Dent with four. The team total of 37 was the most since 39 were recorded in a game against the St. Andrews junior varsity on December 5, 2012.
"Elijah had a couple opportunities to get that 10th assist," Flyers' Coach Mike Apple said of the Cary High School product on Friday. "It was an awesome game by him and an awesome game by Sayaun Dent. "Thirty-seven assists on 47 baskets attests to how well we were moving the ball and hitting open guys.
"Coming off the Caldwell loss, it was a good game to get back to the way we're going to have to play the rest of the season."
Saturday's contest is the first of three conference games in a row at home. Central Carolina CC and Oxford Emory (GA) are the other two teams that will compete in the Region 10 tournament at The Hangar on February 22 and 23.
"With a second-year coach, Johnston is making a great jump with their program," Apple said. "I suspect it is going to be a tough game tomorrow."
The teams in front of the Flyers in this week's NJCAA Division III Poll are: 1. Richland (TX) 15-1, 2. Eastfield (TX) 18-3 and 3. Mohawk Valley (NY) 12-1.
Sandhills - Idlett 5 2-2 15, Dent 13 0-2 26, Bryan 4 1-2 12, Addison 2 0-0 5, Miller 6 0-0 12, Ratliffe 0 0-0 0, Allmond 6 0-0 12, Yow 3 0-0 8, Bailey 1 0-0 3, Williams 1 2-2 4, Davis 2 0-0 4, Medins 4 0-0 9 Totals 47 5-8 110. Francis Marion – Daniels 4 0-0 9, Lee 4 1-2 11, Calhoun 9 1-1 21, Holloway 5 0-0 13, Turner 4 3-4 13, Jenkins 6 0-0 13, Jeffcoat 1 0-2 2, Bellamy 1 0-0 2, Oliver 0 0-0 0, Brown 3 3-3 9, Woodland 0 0-0 0 Totals 37 8-12 93. Three-point goals: SCC 11 (Idlett 3, Bryan 3, Yow 2, Addison, Bailey, Medins); FM 11 (Holloway 3, Lee 2, Calhoun 2, Turner 2, Jenkins, Daniels).
by Chrlie Bergmann
photo by Donna Ford