Flying Eagles Fall in a High-Scoring Thriller Against Pitt CC, 99-96
Game Recap: Men’s Basketball
1/5/2025 | Shaun Schetka
Cedar Bluff, Va-Saturday afternoon, the SWCC Men’s Basketball team (2-6, 1-5) hit the hardwood for the first time in 2025, hosting the Pitt Community College Bulldogs (7-6, 4-1) in Region X play. This matchup marked not only SWCC’s first game of the new year but also their return to action after more than a month of weather-related postponements. Despite the long layoff, the Flying Eagles showed no signs of rust, particularly on offense, scoring an impressive 96 points behind dominant performances from Corean Nelson and Adrian Hunter. Nelson contributed 29 points, while Hunter posted a commanding double-double with 37 points and 10 rebounds. However, their efforts fell just short as the Bulldogs edged them out in a 99-96 nail-biter.
Nelson and Hunter set the tone early, combining for SWCC’s first eight points. Nelson opened the game with a three-pointer, followed by Hunter converting an and-one play. Nelson then added a steal and a coast-to-coast layup to give the Flying Eagles an 8-5 lead. The teams traded baskets before sophomores Braydon Watson-Jones and Anthony Leath caught fire, hitting three consecutive three-pointers to extend SWCC’s lead to 21-12.
SWCC maintained a 24-16 advantage at the under-12-minute media timeout. Pitt CC attempted to shift the game’s tempo with a 2-2-1 full-court press, but SWCC responded effectively. Hunter capitalized with a layup and a corner three-pointer to increase the lead to 29-18. Pitt CC then mounted a 7-0 run to close the gap to 37-35 with five minutes left in the half. The Flying Eagles answered with their own 7-0 run, pushing their lead to 44-37 at the under-4-minute timeout. After exchanging baskets, SWCC entered halftime with a 50-43 advantage.
In the second half, Pitt CC came out strong, erasing SWCC’s lead with a quick 9-3 run to pull within three points at 55-52 just two minutes in. By the under-16-minute media timeout, the Bulldogs had overtaken the Flying Eagles 56-55. The remainder of the game was a tightly contested battle, with both teams trading baskets and neither able to pull away.
Despite their aggressive play, SWCC struggled to capitalize from the free-throw line, connecting on only 25 of 38 attempts. Conversely, Pitt CC could not fully exploit their nearly 2:1 rebounding advantage, outrebounding SWCC 41-25, including 14 offensive boards.
Four Flying Eagles finished in double figures: Nelson and Hunter with 29 and 37 points, respectively, while Leath and Watson-Jones added 16 and 10 points each.
For the Bulldogs, sophomore Amarion McCrea led the charge with 30 points and nine rebounds, while Traven Norwood contributed 20 points and seven rebounds.
The Flying Eagles will return to action on Saturday, January 11, when they travel to Louisburg College to face the Hurricanes. Tip-off is set for 4:00 PM ET. The game scheduled for today, January 5, 2025, against Fayetteville Tech CC has been postponed due to inclement weather.