Hill, Drake spark second-half rally as Eagles beat Mariners 72-65

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (faulknereagles.com) – Di’mar Hill and Nick Drake combined for 27 second-half points as Faulkner flipped a seven-point deficit in the final 20 minutes to earn a 72-65 victory here Thursday night over Coastal Georgia in the second-to-last regular season game for both teams.

The Southern States Athletic Conference see-saw affair was filled with runs from both teams before the Eagles took the lead for good on Monta Sanford’s two free throws with 16:29 left in the game played at Faulkner’s Tine Davis Gymnasium. The two points came in the middle of a 23-5 start to the second half for the Eagles, who led 53-42 on a Hill driving basket at the 13:59 mark. With Hill and Drake providing most of the offensive spark, and Sanford holding his own down low, the closest the Mariners could was six points the rest of the way.

Drake connected on a trio of 3-pointers in the second half, ending the game with five en route to a 19-point effort. Hill finished with 21 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Sanford added a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Faulkner (16-13 overall, 10-7 SSAC) was able to come back because of improved play on both ends of the floor. Scott Sanderson’s team shot 48 percent in the second half after a 39-percent effort in the first, and held Coastal Georgia to 28 percent in the decisive 20 minutes. The visitors shot 44 percent in the first half, which ended with the Mariners outscoring the Eagles 19-5 for a 37-30 advantage at the break.

“I can tell when our guys aren’t ready to play by how they get held up in screens, and that’s what was happening in the first half,” Sanderson said. “The first half was just ugly, but things got better early in the second half. We had some lulls, but for the most part the effort and energy was there and that’s what allowed us to win the game.”

Dominic Early, the SSAC’s leading scorer at 21 points per game, led Coastal Georgia (10-19 overall, 6-11 SSAC) with 24. Corey Harris was the only other Mariner in double figures, finishing with 14.

Faulkner celebrates Senior Day when Brewton-Parker visits Tine Davis Gymnasium Saturday for the regular season finale. The game tips off at 4 p.m.