BREVARD, N.C. – Alonzo Mobley scored a team-high 17 points and led three Montreat players in double figures as the Cavaliers posted a 103-78 victory over Brevard in men's basketball action at Boshamer Gym on Tuesday evening.
Mobley, who finished 7-of-9 from the field, was joined in double figures by Terrell Sheffey (16 points) and Austin Butler (15). Sheffey capped off his evening by hitting 5-of-9 from the floor, including four 3-pointers, to go along with a game-high eight assists. Butler led the way for the Cavalier (11-1) bench, also hitting 5-of-9 from the floor and four from long distance.
Montreat knocked down 39-of-69 (56.5%) from the floor, including 18-of-31 (58.1%) from 3-point range. Sixteen Cavaliers saw action in the game, with 14 scoring at least three points, as Montreat closed out the game with a 51-36 advantage in bench points.
Brevard (0-4) was led the trio of JaMarquis Johnson (20 points), Cannon Lamb (13) and Stevie Williams (11). Johnson enjoyed a solid outing, hitting 7-of-12 from the field to go along with a pair of 3-pointers, while Williams collected seven points from the charity stripe.
In 16 minutes off the bench, Cannon Lamb finished 4-of-7 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. Teammate Jakob Bergen emerged with five rebounds, five assists and four points in 24 minutes.
Leading 45-38 at the intermission, Montreat put together a 22-8 run over the first 5:35 of the second half to put the game out of reach. The Cavaliers knocked down six 3-pointers during their spurt, including three from Sheffey, building a 67-46 advantage.
Johnson and Shelby Parris came through with two free throws each, while Cannon Lamb added a layup, but it was timely shooting by Butler and E.J. Reed that stretched the Montreat lead to 28, 84-56.
With a fresh unit on the floor, Brevard came through with points from Cannon Lamb, Jonas Bradshaw and Qadhafi Turner down the stretch to make for the 103-78 final.
The two teams battled throughout the opening five minutes of the game, enduring five ties, the last coming when Johnson and Jordan Eaton posted back-to-back layups for a nine-all deadlock.
A turnover by the Tornados opened the door for a Butler trey, which sparked a 13-4 run by Montreat. Butler drove home two of the three 3-pointers in that stretch as the Cavaliers opened up a 22-13 lead.
The Cavaliers maintained the nine-point edge until the 7:34 mark when Mobley scored a series a layups, pushing the lead to 30-20. Butler followed with a trey, as Montreat eventually established a 37-22 lead with just over five minutes left.
Brevard answered with a run of its own, keyed by a 3-pointer from Carson and free throws from Williams and Bergen, closing the gap to 39-32 at the 2:53 mark. Conversions by Bergen and Williams kept the Tornados close, as they closed out the half on a layup by Johnson as time expired.
Montreat capitalized on 18-of-31 (58.1%) shooting from the floor to take a seven-point lead into the break. The Cavaliers were led in scoring by the tandem of Butler (11) and Mobley (10), while Sheffey piloted the offense with five assists.
Montreat managed to convert 5-of-13 (38.5%) from 3-point range, while hitting four free throws. The biggest differences came in points in the paint, where the Cavaliers held a 22-16 advantage, and bench scoring, which resulted in a 19-7 edge for the visitors.
Johnson was the primary source of offense for Brevard with 11 points, while Williams added nine. The Tornados took advantage of eight Montreat miscues in the opening frame, converting nine points.
The Tornados return to the court on Thursday evening when they head to Orangeburg, S.C., for an exhibition contest with South Carolina State. Game time is set for 6 p.m.
