Flyers Prep for Road Date at Caldwell Tech With Victory Over Wren College

The Sandhills Community College basketball team bounced back from last week's first loss of the season with a 118-78 victory over Wren College at The Hangar on Wednesday.

Sophomore LeNijel Robinson scored 15 points and grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. The 6-foot-guard also handed out five assists. Sophomore Bryan Quiller and freshman Chad Kinch each scored 16 points to share scoring honors for the winners.

Coach Mike Apple's squad, now 8-1, dropped from No. 1 to No. 3 in this week's NJCAA Division III rankings, following the 26-point loss at Division I Spartanburg Methodist.

Next is a 6 p.m. game on Friday against Division I Caldwell Tech in Hudson, NC. The Cobras (5-1) have won their last five games.

"The hope is that we learned a little something last week about preparation, especially for a level of team like Spartanburg Methodist or Caldwell," Apple said afterward. "We'll find out Friday night and hopefully we're going to get better."

The 6-5 Quiller helped establish the Flyers' dominance in the paint right from the start, scoring eight of their first 10 points. The first double-digit lead came on a spectacular put-back by Robinson that made it 22-12.

Later, a Chris Hunter trey was followed by consecutive dunks from Quiller (twice), and Robinson that contributed to a 10-0 run and a 50-29 lead. Then Kinch got into the act with two baskets and an assist as the Flyers upped the advantage to 58-34 at the intermission.

Joey McMullin scored nine of his 12 points in the game early in the second half as the home team continued to pour it on. A basket by Ayden Gittens on an inbound pass from Kendall Wooldridge produced the largest lead at 97-55 with just over eight minutes remaining in the game.

Along with Quiller, 6-9 Zac Sledge and the 6-6 Gittens, were a combined 18-for-25 from the field as the Flyers enjoyed a 78 to 34 edge in points scored in the paint.

A 6-1 guard from Southern Durham High School, Kinch was an efficient 7-for-10 on shots from the field and notched three steals in a performance that included zero turnovers in 14 minutes of action.

"My teammates gave me the ball and we played great defense," he said. "Ever since we lost that game we've been more focused in practice, talking on defense and sharing the ball. If we go into Friday with the same energy and intensity we'll come out with a "W".

Robinson, a product of Concord High School, has not started in any of the games this season, but is among the leaders on the team in almost every statistical category, including first in rebounds (7.7 per game), second in steals (1.7), third in assists (3.3) and fourth in scoring (11.1).

"LeNijel is a fun guy to be around," Apple said. "He's a machine. He's enthusiastic and he comes to play hard every night."

Non-starters accounted for 73 of the Flyers' points in the game. Another all-around effort was produced by Sledge who contributed 12 points, seven boards, two assists and a blocked shot in 13 minutes on the court.  

The Lady Flyers volleyball team coaches and players unveiled their Mid-Atlantic District B banner at halftime, following a season that included Region 10 regular season and tournament titles, and a ninth place finish at the national tournament in Rochester, MN.

C. Bergmann