Flyers Outlast RBC Via Clutch Work at the Charity Stripe
As the Sandhills Community College and Richard Bland College basketball teams headed into the final 10 minutes of a tense defensive struggle on Wednesday at The Hangar, free throw shooting loomed as a highly possible determinant of the outcome.
Bryan Quiller converted all eight of his crunch time attempts, and the Flyers were 17-for-20 as a team overall down the stretch, as they defeated the squad from Petersburg, VA 72-69. Quiller finished with 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Teammate Jaquan Thurman contributed 16 points to go with nine boards.
"We are a good free throw shooting team," Coach Mike Apple said of his squad that boasts a team percentage of 74.4 that is the fourth best in NJCAA Division III. "Bryan, Jaquan and Jamari (McDougald) were all very clutch. It says a lot about their character, being able to step up there and knock them down.
"Our defense was certainly there tonight, but our offense left a lot to be desired. That will be the big thing when we get back to practice on Friday."
The No. 1 ranked in Division III Flyers improved to 23-3 with their 11th win in a row. The Division I Statesmen dropped to 11-13. It will be Sophomore Day on Saturday when the Flyers entertain Blue Lights College at 3 p.m. in the final regular season home game of the season.
Baskets were hard to come for both sides as the defensive tone was set early. Trailing 23-22, back-to-back put-backs by Zac Sledge gave the Flyers a boost. Sledge canned a jumper moments later in the midst of a 14-3 run that gave the home team a 40-28 halftime lead.
"I really liked the last 10 minutes of the first half," Apple said. "That was Sandhills basketball."
Led by Head Coach Andrew Lacey, who succeeded Apple at Pinecrest High School in 2011, the Statesmen began the second half with a defense-inspired 11-2 run. The parade to the charity stripe for the Flyers was already underway when the visitors caught up at 64-64 with 3:30 remaining in the game.
Tied again at 66-66 at the 2:11 mark, Quiller was fouled grabbing an offensive rebound and sank both free throws. In the final minute, he and McDougald each drained a pair, and the Flyers survived a couple of missed potential game-tying threes by the Statesmen to wrap it up.
"I give all the credit to Richard Bland in the second half," Apple said. "They really got into us defensively. I give my guys a lot of credit because we bent, but we never broke."
The Flyers scored their final 10 points on free throws. Quiller finished 9-for-10 from the line and the team was 20-for-25 overall. In addition to scoring six points, Kendal Wooldridge led the Flyers in assists (5) and blocked shots (4).
"It felt good," Quiller said of being in the pressure situations. "With time running down on the clock, you just have to stay cool, calm and collected. The moment was there. I knew what I had to do."
The Flyers had won their previous 10 games by an average margin of over 30 points.
"They are a DI and a pretty good team," Thurman said of the Statesmen. "With our upcoming games, the conference, district and national tournament, this was a good wake-up call."
The Flyers have played 12 games against DI and DII teams this season. They are 2-2 against DI and 7-1 against DII, including an 84-76 loss to No. 1 ranked and 23-0 Davidson-Davie CC.
Sophomore Sam Stoltz missed his ninth game in a row with a foot injury. He is expected to miss at least another two weeks as a result of the small fracture.
C. Bergmann
