Flyers Stun Storm for Region X Title - District Tournament Next

By Charlie Bergmann.

After a final seconds dash down the court by Davidson County Community College star Nate Jones ended in a highly contested shot that rolled off the rim the celebration began.

The Sandhills Flyers (24-6) defeated the Storm 98-96 at The O'Neal School's Hannah Bradshaw Center Sunday afternoon to win the Region X championship for the third time in the last four years. They upset a team that had won 13 games in a row and was ranked sixth in NJCAA Division III.

"Davidson was undefeated in our conference and we knew what they were capable of after the first two games," Ish Baldwin, one of three Flyer sophomores said afterward. "We made sure we matched their intensity right from the beginning tip-off and played hard all the way through."

Tevin Stark led the Flyers with 23 points, including four treys, and 13 rebounds. Tee Hardy scored 18 points and helped slow down Jones who needed 23 shots to score 23 points.

The win qualifies Coach Mike Apple's squad for the District VII tournament that will be held on Friday and Saturday at a site located in either Maryland or Pennsylvania. That determination is pending the outcome of the Region XX title game to be completed Monday afternoon.

Before a crowd that athletic director Aaron Denton called easily the largest for a Region X championship game in the seven years of the Sandhills basketball program, the Flyers fell behind 5-0. But a drive for two, and a three by Hardy, quickly produced the first of 10 ties in the game.

It was 9-9 when Stark and Kenny Walters each put down a dunk during an 11-2 Flyer burst that made it 20-11. Later the two teams combined to sink six threes in a dizzying span of less than four minutes. The last two were by Stark on consecutive trips down the court, stretching the margin to 37-25.

"We got some good looks early and that really gave us confidence," Apple said.

But a 9-for-19 performance at the free throw line in the half by Flyers helped the Storm make up ground. They regained the lead at 46-45 on a drive for two by Tre Williams and led 52-51 at the intermission.

The Storm had built its advantage to 83-74 at the nine minute mark of the second half when a pair of free throws by Dominique Pass, and a put-back by Hardy, ignited a blistering 13-0 run by the Flyers. 

Moments later another put-back by Angelo Mays, and a basket by Hardy off a Will McNeill steal tied it at 83-83. A tip-in by Hardy and a spin move inside by Mays for two more put the Flyers in front 87-83.

Coming off the bench after being a starter for most of the season, the 6-foot-8 Mays wasn't thinking about making important baskets when he entered the game. Apple felt his put-back was a pivotal play.

"Basically my thought was I have to play good defense and play hard," the second-best shot blocker in Region X said. "If I do that the rest of the team can take care of the offense and we can get back in the game."

The Storm rallied to take a 93-88 lead on a three by Trey Smith that was answered by Stark's fourth three of the game. A see-saw final three minutes saw the Flyers regain the lead twice on a three by McNeill and a put-back by Cameron Grigsby.

"This was the most intense game I've ever played in and I loved it," said Grigsby who finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Tied at 96-96, Pass made 1-for-2 at the line with 1:03 remaining to put the Flyers in front for good. Following a miss from the field by Jones, Baldwin was fouled with seven ticks left on the clock. He made the first and missed the second.

"It was obviously a tough situation but I don't really look at it as pressure," he said. "I just try to settle down and get the job done. I know I missed the second one, but I tried hard to make sure he (Jones) didn't get an easy basket on the other side."

Jones missed the final shot sending the Flyer players and fans into a state of delirium.

"Wasn't that awesome," Apple said.  "This was a great venue for watching this kind of game. Luckily we had a few more points at the end than they had.  I'm just really proud of the guys."

The loss was a tough one for a Storm team (24-6) that lost to the Flyers in the Region X tournament for the fourth year in a row while holding a big edge over them in regular season games over that period.

 "I remembered how it felt last year when we lost to Caldwell and the sick feeling you have knowing the season is over," Baldwin said. "It wasn't something I wanted to experience this season. I'm trying to go to New York.'

Stark, who also recorded a double-double in Friday's win over Wytheville, knows it will take two more wins in the district tournament to make it to the final 8 in New York.

"The road doesn't end here," he said. "I'd like to go out with a bang."

Sandhills – Pass 3 4-6 11, Hardy 8 0-0 18, Stark 8 3-5 23, McDaniel 0 5-10 5, Baldwin 2 2-4 6, Walters 3 1-2 7, Gills 2 0-0 4, Murray 0 0-2 0, McNeill 1 7-12 10, Mays 2 0-0 4, Grigsby 5 0-0 10 Totals 34 22-41 98. Davidson – Smith 4 4-4 15, Williams 7 0-0 15, Riddley 2 1-1 6, Pierce 4 2-2 12, Warren 5 2-3 12, Ritter 0 0-0 0, Bello 1 1-3 3, Gill 0 0-0 0, Jones 7 7-8 23, Burnette 1 0-0 2, Page 0 0-0 0, Goodson 3 0-0 8 Totals 34 17-21 96. Three-point goals: SCC 8 (Stark 4, Hardy 2, Pass, McNeill); DCCC 11 (Smith 3, Jones 2, Goodson 2, Pierce 2, Williams, Riddley).