Balanced Scoring and Grit Highlight Cleveland’s Three-Game Men’s Basketball Stretch

The Cleveland Community College men's basketball team put together a competitive three-game stretch in mid-January, showcasing depth, balanced scoring, and resilience as the Yetis went 1–2 against conference opponents.

Yetis Earn Road Win at Johnston (Jan. 12)
Cleveland opened the stretch with an impressive 86–70 road victory at Johnston Community College, controlling the tempo from start to finish. The Yetis built a nine-point halftime lead and expanded it in the second half behind strong interior play and ball movement.

Tamareion Roundtree delivered a breakout performance off the bench, pouring in a team-high 21 points while grabbing 10 rebounds for a double-double. Cairo Morales and Hans Ngolaminga each added double-doubles of their own, finishing with 12 points and 10 rebounds apiece. Cleveland dominated the glass with a 47–31 rebounding advantage and dished out 28 assists, with Josh Bullock leading the way with six assists. The Yetis' balanced attack and physical presence in the paint proved too much for Johnston to overcome.

Second-Half Surge Falls Short vs. Forsyth Tech (Jan. 14)
Back home two days later, Cleveland faced a tough Forsyth Technical squad and nearly erased a large halftime deficit before falling 94–81. After trailing by 24 at the break, the Yetis outscored Forsyth Tech 52–41 in the second half, showing grit and fight down the stretch.

Miles Beard led all Cleveland scorers with 27 points, knocking down five three-pointers off the bench to spark the comeback. Kelan Flowers added 19 points and four rebounds, while Jacob Adair chipped in 10 points on efficient shooting. Cairo Morales continued his strong play on the boards with 10 rebounds, helping Cleveland win the rebounding battle 43–40.

Tight Battle at Sandhills Ends in Narrow Loss (Jan. 18)
Cleveland closed the stretch with a hard-fought 85–81 loss on the road at Sandhills Community College in a game that featured multiple lead changes. The Yetis led by four at halftime but were edged out late as Sandhills capitalized at the free-throw line in the final minutes.

Miles Beard once again paced the offense with 23 points, while Kelan Flowers added 16 points and eight rebounds. Jacob Adair had a strong all-around performance with 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists, and Tamareion Roundtree contributed 10 points and seven boards. Cleveland shot 33.3 percent from three-point range and matched Sandhills on the glass, but the difference came at the line, where the hosts converted 20 free throws.

Looking Ahead
Despite the mixed results, the Yetis showed strong signs of growth, with multiple players stepping up across the three-game stretch. Cleveland's rebounding strength, bench production, and ability to respond to adversity will be key as the team continues conference play.