YOUNG HARRIS, Ga.  |  Corey Nelson recorded a career-high 36 points for Young Harris College as they went on to beat cross-mountain rival University of North Georgia 98-77 in a Peach Belt Conference men's basketball game Wednesday (Feb. 7) at the YHC Basketball Arena. 

The Mountain Lions improved to 7-15 overall and 6-10 in the PBC, while the Nighthawks fell to 10-12 and 8-8. Young Harris returns to action Saturday (Feb. 10) as they travel to Pembroke, North Carolina, to take on the University of North Carolina at Pembroke in a 3:30 p.m. PBC contest. 

This year's Battle of Blood Mountain game was a part of the NCAA Division II Basketball Showcase that was streamed nationally on ESPN3. 

Zion Williams nailed a three-pointer at the 9:49 mark in the first half to give the Mountain Lions  the lead for good at 27-25. Young Harris went on a 15-2 run over the next 3:21, 10 of the points coming from Nelson, to open up a 15-point lead (42-27) over the Nighthawks. North Georgia clawed its way back after going on a 9-0 run from 4:03 to 1:59 to cut the lead down to five (45-40) with 1:59 left before the half . Nelson scored 16 of his game-high 36 points in the first half, as he went 7-of-9 from the field and 2-of-2 at the free throw line as Young Harris took a 52-42 lead at the break.

"Corey was sensational tonight," said YHC head coach Pete Herrmann. "He must of liked the ESPN spotlight. J.B. had a strong game with a double double and Ben was Ben. It was a great win. Now we need to find a way to win one the road."

Charles Perry cut the Young Harris lead back down to five (56-51) after a layup at the 15:52 mark in the second half. The Mountain Lions got up by 17 points (81-64) after a pair of free throws by Nelson with 7:33 left. Edwards put Young Harris up by 20 (93-73) after a free throw with 2:25 remaining. Edwards rounded out the scoring with a layup with 40 seconds left to bring the score to 98-77.

Nelson finished with a double-double of 36 points and 11 rebounds. J.B. Charles also recorded a double-double of 15 points and 10 rebounds. Ben Waterhouse ended the game with 18 points and six rebounds, while Nicksen Blanc scored 12 points and grabbed eight rebounds. 

Shaquan Cantrell scored a team-high 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds for North Georgia. Ephraim Tshimanga finished with 14 points and six rebounds while Carrod Watson tallied 10 points. Olatunji scored eight points and brought down 12 rebounds.