Flyers Grab Road Win as Last Minute Cougar Rally Falls Short
The Sandhills Community College basketball team survived a furious final minute rally by Central Carolina CC and grabbed an 80-79 victory in Sanford on Wednesday evening.
The Flyers had overcome double-digit deficits in each half, leading up to a basket by LeNigel Robinson, off a clever pass from Alon Hanani, that gave them a seemingly comfortable 80-72 advantage with just over a minute remaining in the game.
But the Cougars' Montell Moore scored seven points in a row. Flyers' Coach Mike Apple had to breathe a sigh of relief when a potential game-winning shot by the Cougars' Derek Gardner missed the mark as time expired.
"I thought we played really good in the last two minutes of the game with the exception of about the last 30 seconds," the coach said afterward. "I credit my guys. We got down in the second half and had to battle back."
Ranked No. 14 in this week's NJCAA Division III poll, the Flyers improved to 5-0 in Region 10 and 16-6 overall after it's sixth win in a row. The Cougars dropped to 4-2 in Region 10 and 9-10 overall.
The Flyers hit the road again on Friday for a 6 p.m. contest against the Montreat College junior varsity. Former Flyers Evan Davis and Elijah Idlett are members of the Montreat varsity that has compiled a record of 13-5 this season.
Led by Moore, who scored 14 of his game-high 25 points in the first half, the Cougars led 29-18 with just over six minutes remaining before the Flyers came to life.
A put-back, a three, and then a steal for two more by Robinson helped the Flyers catch up on the way to taking a 36-35 lead into the intermission. But with eleven minutes remaining in the game, the home team was back on top 60-50.
A basket by Isaiah Nelson initiated a 10-2 Flyer burst that included threes by Kendall Wooldridge and Bryan Quiller. Later, a putback by Zac Sledge tied it up at 69-69 with 4:23 remaining.
Quiller grabbed a rebound and muscled his way inside to score the basket that put the Flyers in front for good at 71-69. A putback and a free throw by Darryl McCaster led up to the basket by Robinson that gave them the late eight-point lead that nearly evaporated.
"I think we kind of dodged a bullet tonight because I didn't think we were ready to play to start with," Apple said. "I thought we had big-time gaps in our intensity, but hats off to Central. They played a great game and we were very fortunate to get out of here with a win."
Robinson led the Flyers with 14 points. Quiller and Joey McMullin scored 13 apiece. Sledge grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and Quiller's five assists topped that category.
Already without the services of two of their primary ball-handlers, the guard ranks became even thinner this week after Jordan Coleman bruised an arm in a automobile accident. He is expected to return soon, but freshmen Hanani and Chris Hunter successfully took on the bulk of the responsibility.
"We were prepared for the game," Hunter said afterward. "Coach told us what had to be done and we came out and played.
"I think the three that came before us helped us prepare for the past two games we won. Coming off the bench after seeing them play was a good lead-in experience."
Apple agreed that the pair stepped up to the occasion.
"I thought that with the transition we're making with the point guards that they did really well," the coach said. "I thought Hunter did a good job of staying in the game and not getting into foul situations. And I can't say enough about Alon. He made some good decisions and played really tough."
Sandhills – Wooldridge 3 2-3 10, Hunter 2 2-4 6, Stoltz 0 2-2 2, Zachary 0 2-3 2, Quiller 5 1-2 13, Hanani 1 0-0 3, Robinson 6 0-1 14, McCaster 3 2-5 8, McMullin 4 4-4 13, Sledge 3 0-1 6, Nelson 1 1-2 3 Totals 28 16-27 80. Central CC – Case 1 2-2 5, Moore 9 3-4 25, Mason 3 0-0 8, McLaurin 6 5-6 17, Gardner 4 0-0 10, Jones 4 0-0 8, Moore 2 0-0 4, Thiam 1 0-0 2 Totals 30 10-12 79. Three-point goals: SCC 8 (Wooldridge 2, Quiller 2, Robinson 2, McMullin, Hanani); CCCC 9 (Moore 4, Mason 2, Gardner 2, Case).
C. Bergmann