The Sandhills Flyers men's basketball team is looking for a little momentum as the regular season nears the end.

With three games remaining before the Region X tournament, the Flyers took the first step to creating that good feeling with a 68-66 last-second road win over Johnston CC on Saturday.

Philip Moultrie's rebound basket with 0.5 seconds on the clock provided the winning margin. Moultrie finished the game with 22 points 14 rebounds, five blocks and three steals.

The Flyers overcame an eight-point halftime deficit, thanks to some stingy defense.

"It was very much a back-and-forth game," SCC head coach Aaron Denton said. "We definitely stepped it up defensively in the second half. We held them scoreless for their first four or five possessions and that allowed us to get back in the game."

Maybe even more impressive for the Flyers was the fact they were able to win without the regular offensive output of their top scorer. Germann Bostic, who averages 26 points per game, was held in check offensively, scoring on two points.

Denton said Bostic contributed in other ways and his teammates responded.

"When he was double teamed he got the ball to the open people and then in turn did a great job of making some shots when we needed it," Denton said.

Brian Thomas was the only other Flyer who scored double figures with 12 points. Anthony Chapman and Demetrese McRae each scored eight for the Flyers.

The Flyers likely will be the fifth seed in the Region X tournament, which begins Feb. 27 at Catawba Valley Conference. There are still three games remaining in the season for the Flyers, and all are region games. The Flyers will likely match up with Central Carolina in the first round of the region tournament with the winner advancing to the semifinals and a match with Davidson CC. Currently Davidson CC is unbeaten in Region X play.

The Flyers will play their last road game of the year Thursday at Davidson CC. The last time the teams met the Flyers were on the short end of a 100-89 decision.

SCC will conclude the regular season with home games against Carolina Prep at 5 p.m. Sunday. That game will be high school appreciation night. The Flyers will entertain Caldwell CC at 8 p.m. on Feb. 19 to end the regular season. The final game will be Sandhills Student Appreciation Night.

Denton said he is excited about playing Caldwell CC -- a rematch of one of the only two games Denton said his team was not competitive in. The first meeting against Caldwell was the second of back-to-back games and the Flyers were playing with only six players. The result was a 113-66 loss.

"I am a little excited about that game," Denton said. "We may get beat by 50 again, but I am excited at having an opportunity for us to get that bad taste out of our mouths."

With three games left, Denton said he is using the time to improve on his team's defense, rebounding and the little things.

"The bad news, I told our guys," Denton said, "is that we are not very good at some things. The good news is that we've got two and a half weeks to work on those areas and improve."

Contact Tom Embrey at 693-2477 or by e-mail at tembrey@thepilot.com.