Flyers Fall to Trojans in Final Scrimmage

The 7th-ranked Sandhills Community College Flyers fell in a tight contest to the Fayetteville Tech Community College Trojans, 74-66, in their final home scrimmage of the season on Wednesday night.

"We didn't give up. We got down badly in the first half, and things didn't get much better for us in the first five or six minutes of the second half. Our team did not quit battling back and got it under 10," said Sandhills men's basketball coach Mike Apple. "We got it down to a workable and winnable situation, but then didn't execute in the last couple of minutes with costly turnovers and missed free throws. These are things we hope to fix."

The game was back and forth from the start, with several lead changes in the first half. The Trojans eventually took control with a scoring surge, extending their lead from 31-27 to 41-31. Fayetteville Tech went into the locker room with a 48-35 lead.

The Trojans continued to build on their lead in the second half, pushing it to 62-49. However, the Flyers slowly mounted a comeback with a series of offensive runs, cutting the lead to 65-58 with less than 10 minutes left. Despite their efforts, Fayetteville Tech held on for the win.

Antoine Piper led the Flyers with 16 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, a block, and a steal. Kendall Smith followed with 13 points, three rebounds, and three assists. Isaiah Upchurch contributed 10 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and a steal.

"It was a great game. First of all, Fayetteville Tech, in my opinion, has one of the best teams in Division II in this league. They've got veteran guards, and we've got guards, except for DeMyron, who have never played in college or redshirted for us last year and just practiced in college," Apple said. "So it was a good experience for us. I think the biggest thing we take away from this is that you've got to be not just physically ready to play, but mentally ready to play. And I think, you know, the mental lapses cost us."

The Flyers will officially start their regular season on November 1 when they host Richard Bland College at home in the Hangar at 7 p.m.

Z. Ciboth