The Shadow
CLIFTON FORGE — When Deondre Dabney converted off a Cartier Key assist with just over 11 minutes left in the first half Saturday afternoon, the Roadrunners of Dabney S. Lancaster Community College led the No. 1 team in the country, 18-16.
But eventually the size and strength of Sandhills Community College wore down their hosts.
The Flyers shot 57 percent from the field and scored 76 points in the paint in a 116-83 win at the DSLCC Armory.
Tyrell Allmond led Sandhills with 21 points, while both Sayaun Dent and Corry Anderson added 17 apiece.
Sandhills, located in Pinehurst, North Carolina, is now 12-0 on the year and is the top-ranked Division III junior college team in the country.
“We’re making progress,” said DSLCC coach Brandon Garrett. “In the first half we gave them a little scare. A lot of our guys, when things go south, they hang their heads a little bit. We’re trying to work on that and are getting better with it. We battled with them.
“We talked about UMBC-Virginia, we talked about Evansville-Kentucky, we talked about Stephen F. Austin-Duke,” Garrett added. “I think they realized that it can happen, but it’s an uphill battle. I was happy with the effort. Putting all the pieces together first year has been a battle. But I think we’re starting to gel together as a team.”
Dabney led the Roadrunners with 18 points and seven rebounds, Shawn Helmintoller scored 13 points and handed out five assists, while Cartier Key had 12 points.
DSLCC played without their two leading scorers — Ty Brown (illness) and Jaylon Hudson, who was hurt in Saturday’s pregame warm-up.
Sandhills led by just six with just over four minutes left in the half before closing on a 14-6 run. They outscored the Roadrunners 63-44 in the second 20 minutes.
Anthony Darcus was the tallest player to suit up for Dabney at 6-foot-2, while the Flyers had eight dressed that went at 6-foot-5 or better, including a 6-foot-9 and three 6-foot-7s.
“Obviously we had a big size advantage over Lancaster and to our credit we took advantage of it, especially in the second half,” said Sandhills coach Mike Apple.
Apple directed Sandhills to a national title in his first year at the school in 2012.
“Division III basketball is great because everything is earned,” he continued. “You don’t have scholarships. It’s the low rung on the college level, but it is college basketball and it can springboard you into bigger and better things.”
Apple has had 17 players from Sandhills continue their careers at four-year institutions with 15 of those 17 earning scholarships.
And on his first trip to DSLCC, the veteran had plenty of praise for the Roadrunners’ first-year program.
“I give these guys credit, the parts, the mechanism are all here for a start-up program in its first year,” Apple said. “It gets a little easier every year.
“You had a stat keeper, you had music during the game and your facilities are nice. He’s (Garrett) doing it exactly right. He’s playing a lot of kids and he’s playing up-tempo fast — the kids like that. Recruit like crazy and keep grinding away and it will happen.”
DSLCC (4-8) now takes a break for the holidays before returning to the floor on January 4 for a road game at Thomas Nelson Community College in Hampton.
The Roadrunners’ next home game will be January 8 against the Carolina Basketball Academy.
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DSLCC’s Deondre Dabney (0), who played his high school basketball at Bridge Academy in Richmond, drives down the lane against Sandhills’ Sayaun Dent (11) Saturday afternoon. (Gavin Dressler Photo)
