Murfreesboro, N.C. | With just a touch of Valentine's Day flair, your Young Harris Mountain Lions showed plenty of heart on the road, edging past the Chowan Hawks of Chowan University in an 86–83 nail-biter inside Hawks Athletic Center.
Young Harris came out firing, pouring in 42 points in the opening half to take a slim one-point lead into the break. The Hawks stayed within striking distance throughout the second half, but the Mountain Lions never blinked. Every Chowan push was met with a response, and YH's steady composure down the stretch proved to be the difference in a tightly contested conference showdown.
Your Player of the Game honors go to Kelvin Hunter, with a standout performance off the bench, scoring 14 points and hitting four three-pointers. He added two steals on defense and capped the night with a dramatic game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer, with just two seconds remaining, sealing the victory for the Mountain Lions.
The Mountain Lions also leaned on balanced scoring, with Kelvin Hunter providing a spark off the bench with 14 points, Christian Drummer adding 13 points with four rebounds and three assists, and Jalen Ware contributing an efficient 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Cameron Bleshoy anchored the paint with a double-double, finishing with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
With the win, Young Harris improves to 17-6 overall and strengthens its conference standing at 13-2, while Chowan moves to 13-11 on the season.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
• Justin Payne led all scorers with 23 points, hitting 5-of-9 from beyond the arc.
• Kelvin Hunter chipped in 14 points, draining four three-pointers off the bench.
• Christian Drummer added 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists.
• Jalen Ware finished with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting.
• Cameron Bleshoy posted a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
• Young Harris shot over 50 percent in the second half and connected on 11 three-pointers in the contest.
UP NEXT:
Your Mountain Lions will return to action on February 16th, welcoming the North Greenville Trailblazers to the Harp Recreation and Commencement Center, with tip off set for 7:00 p.m.
