Flyers Remain Tied at the Top of Region 10 After Road Victory in Georgia

Kendall Smith, Damien Robinson and Antoine Piper combined to score the final 15 points of the game as the Sandhills Community College basketball team defeated Emory Oxford 104-83 in a Region 10 contest held on Saturday afternoon in Oxford, GA.

The Flyers led by 15 points at the eight minute mark in the contest before the Eagles cut the margin to six at 89-83 with just over four minutes remaining. Smith converted a drive to the basket into a three-point play to get the 15-0 run started. Robinson with four baskets, and Piper with two, were unstoppable inside the rest of the way.

Robinson finished with 26 points and 16 rebounds, and Piper poured in 19 points, as Coach Mike Apple's squad improved to 4-1 in Region 10 and 18-6 overall with its fifth win in a row. The Eagles dropped to 0-7 and 8-13.

The Flyers return to action on Wednesday in a 7 p.m. non conference game at The Hangar against Central Carolina CC.

The Flyers had to rally from a late eight-point deficit to defeat the upset minded Eagles 94-90 at The Hangar last Sunday. This time they held the upper hand most of the way before fighting off the late challenge.

Robinson punished the home team inside with 14 first-half points, and Isaiah Upchurch contributed 11, as the Flyers took a 49-42 lead into the intermission. They held a double-digit lead for most of the second half before the home team made things interesting.

Other double-figure scorers for the Flyers were Upchurch and Smith with a dozen, and Mylon Campbell and Xavion White with 10 apiece. The Flyers committed a season-low six turnovers.

Ranked No. 7 in NJCAA DIII last week, the Flyers and Patrick and Henry share the lead in Region 10 with 4-1 records. Conference regular season play winds up with three road games in a row, starting with a game at Virginia Peninsula CC next Friday.

C. Bergmann