Flyers Sharp in All Phases of the Game in Victory Over S4G
Playing its first game in nine days, the Sandhills Community College basketball team was sharp from the start, and pretty much throughout, as it defeated Shooting4Greatness Academy 108-78 on Wednesday evening at The Hangar.
The Flyers were led in scoring by Isaiah Nelson with 19 points. The freshman forward was 8-for-10 from the field and made all three of his free throws.
Seeing game action for the first time since November 3 because of an injured right knee, sophomore Camron Zachary contributed 11 points and a team-high six rebounds in a productive 13 minutes of action.
Ranked No. 10 in this week's NJCAA Division III poll, Coach Mike Apple's squad made 55.8 per cent of its shots from the field and connected on all 15 of its free throws. It's 10 turnovers tied a season-low in that department.
Apple credited a good week of practices for his team's performance in its second win of the season against the team from Raleigh.
"We had three practices in a row where we really got better," the coach said. "I think a lot of the guys are embracing what their role is and I'm very pleased with that.
"Tonight we controlled the game from the beginning to the end and that was really good to see. I'm just hoping that carries over. We have a real tough game on Saturday."
The 2021 portion of the schedule concludes with a 3 p.m. home game against Thomas Nelson CC of Hampton, VA on Saturday. The Gators have defeated a Richard Bland team that beat the Flyers in late November twice this season.
Against S4G, freshman Sam Stoltz assisted on the first two baskets of the game, and moments later knocked down the first of his three treys, as the Flyers jumped out to a 9-3 lead.
Teammates Joey McMullin and Darryl McCaster combined for a total of 20 points as the Flyers took a 52-38 lead into the intermission.
"We had that stretch without games and it was good to get back on the court," Stoltz, a Pinecrest High School grad said. "I think we all enjoyed that and we were all just looking forward to getting a win."
The visitors' Jabez Thomas, a 6-foot-9 forward, scored 22 of his game-high 30 points in the second half. But that was more than offset by 14 points from Nelson, two threes each by Stoltz and Zachary, and frequent dashes to the hoop for layups by Jordan Coleman.
"It was just good to catch a rhythm, get a feel for it again, shoot with confidence, and be able to knock them down," said Stoltz, the team's leader in threes, who broke out of a mild shooting slump in the last two games.
Keegan Brayboy was credited with 10 assists for the Flyers. McCaster with 15 points, McMullin with 13, Coleman with 12 and Zac Sledge with 10, were other double-figure scorers for the winners.
No one was happier to be back on the court than Zachary, who was cleared by his doctor to play, but will require surgery on his knee at the end of the season.
"I'm playing on a torn meniscus right now," the product of Southern Alamance High School said, "but I told the doctor I want to play. I want to win a championship this year. I told myself I'm going out there and give it all I've got."
Apple got more good news on the injury front when it was determined that Bryan Quiller, a second team All-Region 10 selection last season, will resume practicing after suffering a broken right hand in a pre-season game.
S4G – Muzon 4 2-3 10, Hoffler 2 0-0 5, Parms 1 0-1 2, Smalls 6 2-2 15, Thomas 13 4-7 30, Williams 2 0-0 6, Cole 0 0-0 0, Garcia 1 0-0 3, Farrar 0 0-0 0, Sapa 3 1-3 7 Totals 32 9-16 78. Sandhills – Brayboy 0 0-0 0, McCaster 6 3-3 15, Stoltz 3 0-0 9, Sledge 5 0-0 10, Nelson 8 3-3 19, Wooldridge 1 0-0 2, Johnson 2 2-2 6, Perry 2 0-0 4, Hunter 1 1-1 3, Hanani 0 0-0 0, Coleman 6 0-0 12, McMullin 4 4-4 13, Zachary 3 2-2 11, Asante 2 0-0 4 Totals 43 15-15 108. Three-point goals: S4G 5 (Williams 2, Hoffler, Smalls, Garcia); SCC 7 (Stoltz 3, Zachary 3, McMullin).
C. Bergmann