Flyers Clash with USC Salkehatchie in High Intensity Scrimmage

Saturday's scrimmage between Sandhills Community College and USC Salkehatchie at The Hangar matched up two of the best teams in all of men's junior college basketball last season.

The Flyers fell behind by as many as 19 points in the first half. They rallied to tie the contest early in the second before falling 84-79 in the first scrimmage for both teams.

The Flyers won the basketball program's second NJCAA Division III National Title by defeating Mohawk Valley CC 93-89 last March. The Indians qualified for the Division I tournament by defeating Caldwell Tech 92-89 in the title game of the Atlantic District Tournament that just happened to be hosted by Sandhills earlier in the month.

But around the time that the Flyers were celebrating their success in Rochester, MN, the USC Salkehatchie team learned the Division I tournament in Hutchinson, KS had been canceled because of COVID.

"That team had seven sophomores and all of them were looking for a chance to make some noise on the national scene so they were heartbroken," first-year Indians' Coach Glen Mayo said before the start of the second half on Saturday.

"As motivation I told them that Sandhills got to go and compete and win their national championship. 'You got it taken away from you. It's not their fault, but you have a chance to release your frustration on them'."

The Flyers were unbeaten and ranked No. 1 when the Indians defeated them 96-86 at home last January. Coach Mike Apple's squad lost only one other game on the way to a final record of 34-2.

"I told my players, 'don't be confused'", Mayo said. "If they were DI they'd be top 25 nationally, easily."

The visitors jumped out to an early 15-6 lead. They led by as many as 19 points on the way to a 49-35 margin at the intermission.

"They were more ready to play than we were," Apple said afterward. "We had a hard time matching the game speed and the intensity they played with early on. I think it got better as the game went on."

Led by 6-foot-5 freshman Bryan Quiller, the Flyers manufactured a 21-3 run that began late in the first half to tie the game at 50-50 with 13 minutes remaining in the game. The product of Cary High School scored eight of his game-high 18 points during the burst. The tying points came on a three by sophomore Devian Smith.

"I liked how we kept fighting back," said sophomore Savion Staton who made the all-tournament team in Minnesota last March. "Everyone was hustling and playing hard."

The visitors rebuilt their lead to double digits again, but a basket by Quillar in transition off the eighth assist of the game by Corry Addison closed the gap to 81-76 in the final minute.

In the first outing for both teams the number of turnovers was high. The Flyers committed 27, the Indians 19.

"As you can see it's sloppy, but they're flying around and that's all you can ask of them," Mayo said. "These guys have been beating each other up since August so they're excited to play someone else,"

Other double-figure scorers for the Flyers were freshman Keegan Brayboy with 12 points, and Addison and freshman Dharyus Thomas with 10. Sophomore Will Boyd grabbed a team-best nine rebounds.

In addition to Staton and Addison, other members of the championship team that saw action included Derreco Miller, Nathan Yow, Zion Bailey and Cameron Richardson. Twelve players saw action in all.

"We came out way more aggressive in the second half," Staton said. "They lost players from last year and we lost players, but we'll be good."

The scrimmage that was originally scheduled to be played at Fayetteville Technical College on Wednesday has been changed to 7 p.m. at The Hangar. As on Saturday, no spectators will be allowed, but the game will be live-streamed.

"I was pleased with the progress we made throughout the game," Apple said. "I like being challenged. The biggest thing we have to understand is that we have to get better."

Flyers Extra – Elijah Idlett, who was the second leading scorer on the Flyers' championship squad, was 8-for-12 from the field and scored a team-high 17 points for Montreat College in a 97-83 loss to Carolina University last Thursday. The Flyers and USC Salkehatchie are scheduled to meet again in Walterboro, SC on February 17.

by Charlie Bergmann

photo by Donna Ford