Tornados Outlast Lions In Thriller

MARS HILL, N.C. – Trevon Shaw's jumper with 1:28 remaining proved to be the game-winner as Brevard outlasted Mars Hill 107-104 in triple overtime on Senior Night in Stanford Arena. Mars Hill drops to 10-17 overall and 5-16 in the South Atlantic Conference while Brevard improves to 11-16 and 9-12 in the league. The contest featured 14 ties and 23 lead changes.

Michael Carson scored 37 points to lead the Lions, followed by Isaiah Cuthbertson with 21 points. Kevin Haynes scored 12 points while Valentine Bauer scored 11 points. Cuthbetson posted a double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds, eight of which came on defense. Thomas Anderson had a game-high eight assists along with seven points and nine rebounds. William Arberry finished with three points and two rebounds in his final home game.

Shaw led Brevard with 29 points, followed by Miles Leathers with 21 points and Darius Moose and Phil Wallace with 20 points each. Leathers led Brevard with seven rebounds.

After a Carson 3-pointer gave Mars Hill a 99-97 lead in the third overtime period, Shaw completed the old-fashioned three-point play to give Brevard the lead for good as the visitors led 100-99 with 3:37 to play. An Evan Dunham 3-pointer gave the Tornados a 103-99 lead before Haynes cut the deficit to one following a triple with 1:59 to go. The teams traded baskets as the Tornados led 105-104 with a minute remaining. Following a missed Shaw jumper with 43 seconds remaining, D.J. Bostic came down with the rebound. Anderson forced a turnover but stepped out of bounds before he was able to call timeout. After a technical foul, Wallace sank both free throws to give Brevard a 107-104 lead. Shaw would turn the ball over with 13 seconds remaining, but the Lions missed two opportunities to force a fourth overtime as Brevard escaped with the win.

In the second overtime, Brevard led 95-92 following a Shaw layup and free throw with 1:16 to play. Carson tied the contest at 95 with a 3-pointer with one minute left. Mars Hill had an opportunity to end the game as Justin Yeargin attempted a 3-pointer with eight seconds left, but his shot was off the mark and Wallace's last-second heave fell well short to force another overtime.

Mars Hill took an 84-82 lead in the first overtime on a Bauer layup with 66 seconds remaining. Bauer would extend the Lion lead to 86-83 with two free throws with 31 seconds to play. On the next Tornado possession, Stevie Williams was fouled and made one of two free throws to cut the Lion lead to 86-84. Yeargin was fouled with 18 seconds remaining and made one of two free throws. Yeargin's missed first free throw kept the door open for Brevard and Shaw would take advantage, sinking a 3-pointer with 2.4 seconds remaining to force a second overtime.

The Lions opened the game on a 6-0 run before a Shaw layup gave Brevard a 7-6 lead with 16:49 to go in the first half. Mars Hill led 13-12 before going on an 11-2 run for a 24-14 lead with 11:05 to play. After Carson sank a pair of free throws for a game-high 11 point lead, 37-26, Brevard went on a 9-0 run to pull within a pair with 1:17 to play in the half. An Arberry jumper with four seconds left sent the Lions into halftime with a 40-35 lead.

After a McCarter 3-pointer gave Mars Hill a 46-40 lead with 17:56 to play, Brevard chipped away at the Lion lead until a Leathers 3-pointer gave Brevard a 52-51 lead. An Anderson dunk gave Mars Hill a 62-57 lead with 7:32 to play in regulation but the Tornados would lead 70-67 following a pair of Wallace free throws at the 3:34 mark. Haynes would sink consecutive 3-pointers to give Mars Hill a 73-70 lead with 1:50 remaining. Anderson gave the Lions a 77-73 lead 38 seconds to play but a Debardlabon layup and a pair of Leathers free throws caused a tie at the end of regulation.

The Lions held a 55-39 advantage in rebounds but had 18 turnovers compared to seven for Brevard. Brevard scored 22 points off of turnovers and held a 40-28 advantage in points scored in the paint.

Mars Hill travels to Lenoir-Rhyne on Saturday for the season finale at 4 p.m.