Supply, NC - The Cape Fear Community College men's basketball team overcame a 13-point deficit to get within one at the break and used a strong final 20 minutes to pull out an 87-78 win over USC-Salkehatchie on Friday night.
"I thought we came out tight, but our freshman showed great resiliency, "said CFCC Coach Ryan Mantlo."
Anthony Vanhook led the rally with a team-high 29 points, while Osandai Vaughn chipped in 16 and Phil Wallace finished with 11 points topping the scoring chart for the Sea Devils.
USC-SALK jumped out to an early 17-4 lead to force a timeout by Mantlo to get Cape Fear refocused after a sluggish start. The Indians maintained the cushion at 34-21 with less than nine minutes to go in the opening half, but Cape Fear used a 22-8 run to seize momentum headed into the locker room.
Down by one to open the second act, the two teams traded baskets until Vanhook gave the Sea Devils their first lead of the night at 54-53 off a lay-in with just over 10 minute to go in the game. Cape Fear would never relinquish its cushion and used solid free throw shooting down the stretch to move on in the tournament.
"We play a great team tomorrow and will need to play great for 40 minutes if we want to continue our season beyond tomorrow afternoon," said Mantlo.
The win puts the Sea Devils into Saturday's Region 10 Finals against Brunswick Community College. Tip-off is at 2 p.m. at BCC.
The Dolphins advanced with a 67-53 win over Spartanburg Methodist in the early game on their home floor in Bolivia. Cape Fear and Brunswick split the regular season series as the Sea Devils took the regular seasons finale 85-67 last Friday at the Schwartz Center in downtown Wilmington.
The winner of tomorrow's matchup earns a trip to the National Junior College Athletic Association Championships in Huthinson, Kansas, March 17-22.
Courtesy of Joe Catenacci