ANDERSON, S.C. | YH took on the Bears of Lenoir- Rhyne in the 2nd round of the NCAA Southeast Region Tournament Sunday, evening hosted at the Abney Center. In a thrilling and hard-fought match, the Mountain Lions fell to the Bears 84-78.

Young Harris put up a fight with the Bears, taking charge and scoring the first points in the game. Carl Cleveland made an opening statement with a quick basket, with Justin Payne following suit. With an assist from Jalen Ware, Cleveland splashed a three-pointer knocking the Mountain Lions up by five points.

After a strong start for the Mountain Lions in the first half, they entered the second half with the lead 42-38. At the end of the first half, YH went 79% on FT, out rebounded the Bears 25 to 23, and kept the lead for 10 minutes and 38 seconds.

Lenoir-Rhyne found an answer in the locker room coming out of the half, with a game plan that scored on the YH defense and prevented crucial points. The buzzer sounded with the final score 84-78. The leading scorers for the Bears belonged to Blessing Kimble (22 points), Tyler Burraston (21 points), and Akili Evans (13 points).

YH leading scorers were Carl Cleveland, who led all scorers with 38 points, Justin Payne with 17 points, and Christian Drummer with 10 points.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:

·      Carl Cleveland tallied an impressive stat line which consisted of 38 points, going 15 for 18 at the FT line (83.3%), eight rebounds, two assists and played a full 40 minutes.

·      Justin Payne scored 17 points, two steals, six rebounds, shot with an 85.7% accuracy from the FT line, and played the full 40.

·      Christian Drummer ran full court for 40, going 75% from the field (57% in FT), five rebounds, two assists, and 10 points.

·      Kelvin Hunter contributed with a total of five buckets and two assists.

·      Jalen Ware met the net with four points, assisted two, and recorded two rebounds.

·      Cameron Bleshoy led the Mountain Lions in rebounds with nine, scored two points of his own, assisted one, and blocked two LR shots.

·      YH remained more accurate in the FT department, shooting 73.5% over Lenoir-Rhyne's 62.5%

·      The Mountain Lions had, one more defensive rebound than the Bears 28 to 27.

UP NEXT:

Your Mountain Lions ended their incredibly successful season, in the second round of the NCAA Southeast Region! This season Young Harris set program highs at this institution, winning the Conference Carolinas Championships and marking the first time in Program history to have Player of the Year Honors and Defensive Player of the Year. Your Mountain Lions will return to action for their 2026-2027 season with familiar faces and new!