TIGERVILLE, S.C. | Carl Cleveland's dominant 24-point performance powered Young Harris College past North Greenville University, 67-54, in a Saturday afternoon (Jan. 25) Conference Carolinas matchup.
Cleveland shot 9-of-24 from the field, including 6-of-12 from beyond the arc, and grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds to lead the Mountain Lions (9-3 overall). Justin Payne was perfect from the floor, scoring 15 points on 6-of-6 shooting while knocking down all three of his three-point attempts. Karl Chavis and Matija Millivojevic chipped in nine points as Young Harris secured the win with a strong defensive performance.
The game saw three lead changes and one tie early, but Young Harris took control by halftime, holding a 37-20 lead. The Mountain Lions' defense forced North Greenville into 13 turnovers, leading to 15 points, while holding the Trailblazers (1-5 overall) to just 32.3% shooting from the field and a cold 16.7% from three-point range.
QUOTE FROM HEAD COACH JEREMY CURRIER:
"Great win for our program. Our guys have showed toughness with 4 games in 8 days; with three of them on the road. Carl Cleveland came out on fire with 22 first half points, Justin Payne was tremendous going a perfect 6-6 for 15 points, and Matija Milivojevic impacted the game in so many ways. We have had different guys step up and make winning plays all week, which speaks to our players focus and resilience.
We are excited to finish this road trip on Tuesday at Shorter and get back to the Enchanted Valley for some home games in February."
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
UP NEXT:
Young Harris will return to the court next Tuesday evening for another Conference Carolinas matchup at Shorter University in Rome, Georgia.
