Late Three Dooms Sea Devils

The Cape Fear Community College Sea Devils erased a large first-half deficit and battled all the way back, but Richard Bland escaped with a dramatic 65–64 overtime victory Wednesday night.

Richard Bland controlled the early portion of the game, using strong rebounding and efficient scoring to build momentum. Cape Fear struggled to find its rhythm offensively in the opening half and went into the locker room trailing 33–17.

The Sea Devils came out of halftime with renewed energy and immediately sparked a comeback. A pair of early three-pointers ignited the offense as Cape Fear began chipping away at the deficit. Defensive pressure and improved shot-making steadily brought the Sea Devils back into the contest.

Midway through the second half, Cape Fear completed the comeback and tied the game, setting up a tense final stretch of regulation. Both teams traded baskets over the closing minutes, forcing the game into overtime with the score still deadlocked.

The extra period remained tight throughout. Cape Fear grabbed a two-point advantage in the final seconds and appeared poised to secure the win, but Richard Bland delivered the decisive moment when a contested three-pointer at the buzzer dropped through to seal the 65–64 victory.

Greysen McCadden led the Sea Devils with 22 points off the bench, knocking down six three-pointers while also grabbing eight rebounds. JJ Moore added 18 points and nine rebounds, connecting on six shots from beyond the arc. Malachi Simpson anchored the boards with a team-high 11 rebounds.

Head coach Mark Lane said the finish was a difficult one for his team to process but praised their resilience after the slow start.

"This one is a tough pill to swallow," Lane said. "We made a couple crucial mistakes late, but I'm proud of how our guys fought back after being down big. They kept competing all the way to the end."

Cape Fear closes out the regular season this Saturday as Denmark Tech visits the Schwartz Center. Game time is set for 3:00 pm.