Pioneers End Sea Devils Title Hopes

Walterboro, SC – The Cape Fear men's basketball team's dream of making another appearance in the NJCAA National Tournament ended Friday night as the #1 seeded Spartanburg Methodist College, who is also currently #1 in the country, upended Cape Fear 89-74 in the semi-finals of the Region 10 Tournament.

The Pioneers stormed out of the gate grabbing a 6-0 lead in the first minutes of the contest. However, the Sea Devils used baskets by Landon Atterberry and JT Murphy to knot the game up at 11. SMC responded with quick bursts the remaining part of the first half to take a 13 point advantage in the locker room.

"I felt like we were in a good place to make a strong push in the second half," commented Sea Devil head coach Ryan Mantlo. "We had absorbed their punch and started following the scout as directed. Turnovers proved to be the deciding factor in this game."

Cape Fear would pull the game back to within seven with less than six minutes remaining, but a three in the corner from Travis Barnes pushed the lead back to 10 to ultimately seal the victory. The Pioneers forced 24 turnovers, while only committing 12 of their own. Cape Fear was paced by Landon Atterberry's 24 points and 11 rebounds, while Faronte Drakeford poured in 14 points.  The Sea Devils finish their 2012-13 campaign with an overall record of 19-12.

Faronte Drakeford and Anthony Williams were both named to the Region 10 All-Conference team, with Drakeford receiving first team and Williams taking home second team honors. Drakeford was also named Region 10 Player of the Year, the second Sea Devil basketball member to garner this recognition.

"I'm very proud of our guys," commented Mantlo. "We will certainly miss this sophomore class, their commitment to the classroom and dedication to our program was second to none. We wish them the best in their future endeavors."