SPARTANBURG, S.C. | History has been made!
The Young Harris College Mountain Lions captured their first Conference Carolinas Men's Basketball Championship on Sunday afternoon, holding off Chowan University 82-79 at Jerry Richardson Indoor Stadium. With the win, Young Harris improved to 22-8 overall and secures the program's first-ever Conference Carolinas tournament title along with the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship!
Chowan jumped out early, taking a 17-10 lead in the opening six minutes of the game. The Mountain Lions responded with a strong run sparked by Carl Cleveland, using an 11-0 surge that included back-to-back three-pointers from the Conference Carolinas Player of the Year to take a 24-19 lead. Young Harris later added another run to push the advantage to 35-26 before carrying a 46-35 lead into halftime.
The Mountain Lions stretched their lead to 50-37 early in the second half before the Hawks began to claw back into the game. A layup by Eric Gordon Jr. trimmed the deficit to 55-50, and Chowan continued to pressure late in the contest. The Hawks pulled within 76-75 with four minutes remaining, but Young Harris answered once again with a key four-point stretch to regain control.
Leading 82-79 in the final seconds, the Mountain Lions closed the door defensively as Chowan was unable to get off a final shot attempt, sealing the championship victory.
Carl Cleveland delivered an incredible championship performance, pouring in 34 points while knocking down six three-pointers to lead all scorers. Cameron Bleshoy recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Justin Payne added 14 points and made all six free throws.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
• Carl Cleveland scored a game-high 34 points and knocked down six three-pointers.
• Cameron Bleshoy recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
• Justin Payne added 14 points and went six-for-six from the free throw line.
• Christian Drummer contributed 10 points and four assists.
• Young Harris forced 15 turnovers and scored 23 points off those turnovers.
• The Mountain Lions scored 16 fast break points in the championship win.
UP NEXT:
Young Harris now awaits its postseason destination as the Mountain Lions will learn their NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Championship fate during the selection show Sunday night at 11:00 p.m. on NCAA.com.
