The Sandhills Flyers basketball team warmed up for its game against the N.C. State Club squad by marching in the Southern Pines Christmas Parade early Saturday afternoon.

Several hours later at the O’Neal School Gym, the Flyers outpaced the Wolfpack 98-83 to improve to 10-0 on the season. Louis Craft led the winners with 18 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots. Teammate Markell Lotharp also recorded a double-double that included 21 points and 10 boards.

Next for the fifth-ranked in NJCAA Division III team is a 7 p.m. game against the Methodist jayvee team in Fayetteville on Wednesday. They meet Rockingham CC in a 7 p.m. home contest on Saturday.

The Wolfpack kept up with the Flyers for a while, taking a 24-19 lead midway through the first half. With the score tied at 26-26, Raheem Washington twice received passes for emphatic dunks to get the home team going.

A little later, Pinecrest grad Daquain Towns accounted for nine of 11 Flyer points as the lead was extended to 48-35. The two teams pretty much traded baskets the rest of the way with coach Mike Apple’s squad leading by as many as 18 points.

Towns with 13, Michael Collins with 12 and T.J. Jones with 10 were other double figure scorers for the Flyers. Towns also contributed nine rebounds and five assists. Dre Huntley handed out six assists.

The Wolfpack were led by Mark Cornelius with 21 points and Taylor Payne with 17 and seven assists