No. 1 Sandhills Pulls Away from Men's Basketball in District Championship

PINEHURST, N.C. – The Anne Arundel Community College men's basketball team hung with top-ranked Sandhills Community College until late in the Mid-Atlantic District championship game when the Flyers used their deep bench to defeat the Riverhawks, 108-92. The Flyers (31-2) earn the district's automatic bid to the NJCAA National Championship next weekend.

Joseph Chase led the Riverhawks (9-17) with 27 points, seven rebounds, four steals, and a pair of assists. NJCAA Player of the Week Michael Cantrell added 23 points to go with four rebounds, four assists, and four steals. As a team, AACC recorded a season-high 18 steals on the day. Jamar Young and Aaron McGriff each pitched in with 11 points and three steals, with McGriff adding six assists and Young pulling down four rebounds. Davon Jones joined them in double-digit scoring with 10 points.

Sandhills controlled the pace of the game from start to finish and AACC responded by running the court faster and with more tenacity than perhaps the entire regular season. The Riverhawks kept it tight with multiple lead changes until late in the second half. AACC saw its last lead with 13 minutes to play drift away as the Flyers used their bench's depth to go ahead then extend the lead.

The Riverhawks were outrebounded, 56-27, and didn't capitalize on their usual outside game, hitting just four of 20 shots from three-point range (20%). Despite that, AACC shot 50% from the floor (39-78) and 77% from the charity stripe (10-13).

AACC is eligible for an at-large berth in the NJCAA national tournament. The field will be announced this week.