Young Harris, Ga. | On January 20th, the Young Harris College Men's basketball team earned a hard-fought home victory over the Francis Marion Patriots (78-65). The Mountain Lions displayed excellent teamwork and were propelled by standout performances from Karl Chavis, who led all scorers with 26 points, and Carl Cleveland, who contributed an impressive 21 points. Despite strong efforts, Francis Marion's Jordyn Surratt, who scored 17 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, the Patriots were unable to overcome the Mountain Lions' balanced attack. Both teams played with determination, but Young Harris controlled the game and secured a well-deserved win. The Mountain Lions now advance to 6-2 in Conference Carolinas play and 11-5 overall and Francis Marion moves to 4-5 in the conference and 6-11 overall. 

QUOTING HEAD COACH JEREMY CURRIER:
"Their zone gave us some problems, we just had to talk through some of our alignments. They had one player that was really hurting us on the offensive glass, our guys had an unbelievable second half. We were plus 10 rebounding margin and we met all of our defensive zones. Guys did a great job bringing it, and tonight we showed a lot of grit." Continuing, "I think it was good because we just had one day to prepare for FMU and we practiced hard. You always want to learn about your team coming off adversity and our guys did a really good job. We have character players who care deeply about winning. Player leadership was great and the guys were really focused. Tonight I feel like we looked like a championship team, and I could not be more proud about our response." 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

• Karl Chavis dominated with 26 points, 5 rebounds, and nailed 5/6 free throws. 

• Carl Cleveland fired up the offense with 21 points, 9 rebounds, and scored 5/6 at the line. 

• Cameron Bleshoy contributed 7 points and 9 rebounds, showcasing solid defense. 

• Paul Hosey added 9 valuable points, making key contributions on both ends of the floor. 

• Francis Marion's Jordyn Surratt led his team with 17 points and 13 rebounds but fell short. 

• Field Goals: YHC's efficiency shone at 50.9% (29-57) versus FM's 33.3% (23-69). 

• Free Throws: YHC's 75% (12-16) surpassed FM's 65% (13-20). 

• Rebounds: YHC dominated the boards with 39 total rebounds, outmatching FM's 29. 

UP NEXT:

Your Mountain Lions return to action on Wednesday Jan. 22nd (7p.m.) in Central, South Carolina against Southern Wesleyan University at the Tysinger Gymnasium.