Germann Bostic knew he was going to have to provide something extra as the Sandhills Community College basketball team took the court Saturday afternoon.

The Flyers had only seven players dressed for the home game against Johnston Community College held at The O'Neal School gym.

So Bostic took up the slack by exploding for 50 points in the Flyers 92-83 win.

"I played the same way I usually do every game," the leading scorer for the Flyers said afterward. "We were a little short of guys so I had to take a few more shots than I usually take."

The Flyers soared to a 56-31 halftime lead behind 35 points from the 6-foot-2 shooting guard. Bostic didn't miss his first shot until after scoring his 27th point with 4:49 left in the half. Seven of his baskets were from behind the arc.

Bostic finished 18 for 32 from the field, including nine for 13 from three-point land. He was five of six from the charity stripe, while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out two assists. He began the day, averaging 23.1 points per outing.

"He did it with so much confidence," Flyers' coach Aaron Denton said. "In the second half, I really felt like he let the game come to him. I was proud of the way he did it."

Denton lost several players for academic reasons, and had two more that were not available for the game. He enjoyed watching Bostic's performance as well as gaining a victory that improved the Flyer record to 6-10 on the season.

"We only had seven players," he said, "but they were the right seven."

In spite of the huge first-half deficit, the Jaguars weren't ready to go home without a fight.

Bostic was quiet as the Jaguars out-scored the home team 29-8 in the first 10 minutes of the second half. His first points came on a tip-in that broke a 13-0 Jag run, keeping the Flyers in front 66-60.

Playing on a painfully sore ankle, point guard Kelly Miller made two baskets, to get the Flyers going again. Bostic then sank his first three of the period, and Michael Poston scored on a putback as the Flyers expanded their lead to 77-64.

There were signs the Flyers were tiring as the Jags made one final run.

"It really took its toll when they came back," Bostic said. "We kind of pulled together at the end."

Anthony Chapman and Miller fed Bostic for the final two baskets of the game, giving him 10 of the last 15 Flyer points.

"The difference is, a month ago we would have lost this game," Denton said. "We have a long way to go, but this was a step in the right direction."

Pinecrest grad Carlton Rhone finished with nine points. He made a key basket and had a big block in the closing minutes. Another former Patriot, Phillip Moultrie, contributed five points and 12 rebounds.

Jacob Darr led the Flyers in the rebounding department with 14. Montrel Simms led Johnston with 17 points.

Denton is prepared to complete the season with nine players. This is the first year of sports competition since the school disbanded its athletic program several decades ago.

Pinecrest graduate Hilary McLaurin was scheduled to become active in December after playing at Rockingham Community College last year.

He has decided to sit out this year, retaining a full year of eligibility.

"I think it's the best thing for him," the Flyer coach said.

The Flyers were scheduled to entertain Oxford on Tuesday. They have a 7 p.m. date tonight at Caldwell Community College.

Johnston 31 52 83

Sandhills 56 36 92

Johnston - Simms 8 1-2 17, Pitts 5 4-6 16, Mitchell 4 3-3 12, Pettaway 6 0-1 12, Jabbi 4 3-5 11, Compton 2 2-2 7, Layne 1 2-4 5, Bethea 1 1-2 3, Degnova 0 0-0 0. Totals 31 16-25 83. Sandhills - Bostic 18 5-6 50, Rhone 4 0-0 9, Chapman 3 1-3 8, Poston 4 0-0 8, Miller 3 0-2 6, Darr 3 0-0 6, Moultrie 2 1-4 5. Totals 37 7-15 92. Three-point goals: Johnston 5 (Pitts 2, Compton, Mitchell, Layne); Sandhills 11 (Bostic 9, Rhone, Chapman).