The Brevard College men’s basketball team (8-14, 5-6 USAS) picked up a crucial USA South Conference win over Piedmont University (8-14, 3-7 USAS), 61-57, on Tuesday evening in Demorest, Georgia.
With the win, Brevard improves its record to 5-6 in USA South play, as the Tornados currently sit in fourth place in the West Division with a game-and-a-half lead on the fifth-place Lions of Piedmont. BC’s win gives the Tornados men’s basketball program its most single-season victories since Brevard won 12 games en route to a South Atlantic Conference tournament bid in the 2014-15 season.
Sophomore guard Carson Evans turned in an impressive all-around performance, scoring a career-high 16 points while also grabbing seven rebounds and totaling three assists and three steals. Chancey Watson also scored in double figures in what was a productive day for the Tornado bench, as Watson logged 11 points and nine rebounds while making a team-best three 3-pointers. Quincy Carter added nine points, while Alex Wesig totaled three steals.
Piedmont’s efforts were captained by Jordan Foote, who scored 11 points in the low-scoring affair. Foote also snatched a team-high eight rebounds.
Piedmont narrowly outshot Brevard, 40% to 37%, but BC held a slight advantage from beyond the arc. Piedmont committed three more turnovers (18-15) than Brevard, which led to 18 BC points off turnovers. The bench play proved to be the biggest difference in a tight contest that featured 11 ties and eight lead changes, as BC’s reserve unit totaled 38 points to Piedmont’s 15.
The Lions were able to jump out first to a 15-7 lead through the first five minutes of action. Piedmont was able to extend this advantage to a 10-point cushion, 23-13, after a Noah Reardon 3-pointer with 10:28 left to play in the half. Brevard was able to respond, stringing together an impressive 16-2 scoring run capped off by an Evans 3-pointer to take a game-best four-point lead, 29-25, with 6:20 left in the stanza.
Piedmont retook the lead with a 7-0 scoring run over the next minute and a half of action. With the contest tied at 35-35, the Lions used a Joe Helenbrook layup as time expired to take a two-point advantage into the locker rooms.
Watson led all scorers at the break with 11 points, while Evans totaled seven.
Both sides battled hard through a low-scoring second half of action. BC was able to retake the lead, 44-43, after a LB Boyette free throw at the 14:43 mark. The lead was traded again before the Tornados opened back up a four-point cushion, 49-45, by the under-12 media timeout. Piedmont was able to tie the contest back up on two separate occasions and briefly take a three-point lead on a pair of Justin Quick free throws with 7:15 left in the contest.
A Luke Bleynat made free throw and an Evans fastbreak layup knotted the score back up at 55 with under five minutes to go. After a near two-minute scoreless spell for both squads, Evans again came through – this time with a jumper that put Brevard back on top, 57-55.
Piedmont’s Foote knocked in a layup with 1:19 remaining to tie the matchup back up, but Brevard’s defense came through in the clutch as a Watson steal followed by a Wesig putback layup made the contest 59-57 with just 36 seconds remaining. BC’s defense forced a missed Piedmont 3-pointer, and Evans hit a clutch pair of free throws with 15 seconds remaining to make it a two-possession game, 61-57. Another Brevard defensive stop effectively put the contest out of reach, as the Tornados are in prime position to clinch their first postseason bid since 2014-15 later this week.
Brevard ends its regular season on Saturday at 2 p.m. for Senior Day against LaGrange College at the Boshamer Gymnasium. Seniors Luke Bleynat, Hayden Cassell, Alex Glaze, and Alex Wesig will be honored in a special ceremony right at 2 p.m. ahead of tip off.