LAURINBURG — The spread of the coronavirus brought the world of sports to a screeching halt.
And it made life a little tougher for the Sandhills Community College men’s basketball team. But the virus didn’t stop the Flyers from winning the NJCAA DIII championship on Friday. It was the program’s second championship, and its first since 2012.
It was also the first championship win for sophomore guard and Scotland High alumnus Niem Ratliffe.
“It didn’t feel real because I’ve never been to a championship,” said Ratliffe, a three-time all-conference honoree at Scotland. “I’ve been close, but I’ve never been there.”
The Flyers defeated Herkimer College in a quarterfinal matchup on Thursday. The tournament schedule was changed because of coronavirus concerns, so the Flyers ended up playing two games on Friday. In an 11 a.m, semifinal game, Sandhills defeated Rochester Community and Technical College 84-76. That evening, Sandhills played Mohawk Valley Community College for the championship.
Mohawk Valley controlled the flow of the game early on, leading by as many as eight points in the first half. Sandhills was behind 50-47 at halftime, but the Flyers had trailed at halftime in all three of their NJCAA tournament games.
Sandhills coach Mike Apple’s halftime message was simple: don’t let them take you out of your element.
“Coach told us to play our game,” Ratliffe said.
Sandhills guard Sayaun Dent, a West Bladen graduate, scored 17 of his game-high 27 points in the second half to help the Flyers complete the comeback and take home the title.
Apple won his second title in nine seasons with the Flyers.
“It isn’t so much at this time of year how you do it,” Apple said after the game. “It’s that you do it in any way possible. We made just 35 percent of our shots in the first game and won. Mohawk Valley kept making great shots and we just kept finding a way, finding a way.”
Sandhills finished the year on an 18-game winning streak. The Flyers’ overall record was 34-2, including a 23-1 mark at their home gym in Southern Pines. Their only two losses were against USC Salkehatchie and Caldwell Tech, two nationally-ranked NJCAA Division I teams.
Ratliffe ended Sandhills career with 133 points, 95 assists and 31 steals. This was the second postseason he’s been on as a Flyer; Sandhills took fifth place in last year’s tournament.
Ratliffe said realizing that his time at Sandhills was over was bittersweet. He has strong friendships with his teammates, including some whom he played against in high school. The other former Sandhills Athletic Conference players on the Flyers’ roster are Tyrell Allmond and Zion Bailey of Pinecrest
Some parts of the high school rivalry between Ratliffe and the former Patriots carried over to Sandhills. But the trio eventually bonded once they started playing together.
“Everything ended well,” Ratliffe laughed.
Ratliff hopes to continue his basketball career at UNC-Pembroke, most likely as a walk-on. He said his time at Sandhills helped him learn how valuable the junior college athletics experience can be. He knows there’s chances to be recognized at every level — whether it’s NCAA, NAIA or NJCAA.
“As long as you work hard, it doesn’t matter,” Ratliffe said.
