MURFREESBORO, N.C. – The Chowan Men's Basketball team knocked off regionally-ranked King at home in Conference Carolinas action on Saturday afternoon behind the play of BJ McLaurin and Khalil Ridges.
THE BASICS
FINAL | Chowan 84, King 80
RECORDS | Chowan 5-8 (2-6), King 10-5 (5-3)
LOCATION | Murfreesboro, N.C. (Helms Center)
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
King came into the contest ranked sixth in the D2SIDA Southeast Regional poll and the nation's leading scorer, who finished with 33 points.
BJ McLaurin returned to form with 27 points and 14 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. McLaurin had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the first half.
Khalil Ridges added nine points and seven rebounds on a day where he was tasked to defend the leading scorer and making him earn every point.
Jamal Thomas scored 16 of his 21 points in the second half going 4-4 from the floor and 8-9 from the stripe. Thomas added eight rebounds and six assists.
Michael Kelly added 12 points, while Jaylen Dilliard chipped in with 10 points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half:
King jumped out to an early 8-2 lead and enlarged their lead to 17-8. BJ McLaurin accounted for all eight points for the Hawks early.
Michael Kelly sparked a huge run, 18-5, to give the Hawks their first lead of the contest, 26-22. Kelly started the run with a layup followed by four points from BJ McLaurin. Jamal Thomas added the next five points to even the score at 19-all, knocking down a triple and two freebies. BJ McLaurin added a layup to give the Hawks their first lead of the contest, 21-19. Tahkey Willimas added a layup and Kahlil Ridges converted a pair from the stripe.
The Tornado regained the lead despite a triple by Xavier Young and a layup by Michael Kelly to lead 36-31 with a minute to play in the half.
Michael Kelly would dive for a ball near mid-court for the steal and outlet the ball for an emphatic dunk to end the half by BJ McLaurin, 36-33.
Second Half:
Chowan raced out of the locker room with a run of 21-4 over the first seven minutes of the half to lead 54-40. Khalil Ridges started the scoring with a three-point play and a layup in transition. BJ McLaurin knocked down a triple before Jaylen Dilliard added a two layups.
King scored three minutes into the half for their first points, but four points by Jamal Thomas offset the two made buckets with his own. BJ McLaurin added a layup and a three pointer to push the lead to 54-40.
The Tornado halted the run with a layup before Michael Kelly added a bucket. King started chipping away at the deficit, but Jamal Thomas added the next five points along with two points each from BJ McLaurin and Kelly to lead 65-49 with 9:15 remaining.
An 18-4 run by King pulled the score to within two, 69-67, with just under four minutes to play. Jaylen Dilliard scored three points and Jamal Thomas tallied one from the stripe.
Michael Kelly ended the offensive stall with a layup before Jaylen Dilliard knocked down a triple to push the lead to seven, 74-67, just a minute later.
King would not go away as an 8-2 run closed the gap to one, 76-75, with 1:04 to play. Jamal Thomas recorded the lone basket for the Hawks.
Out of the timeout with 1:01 remaining, Michael Kelly recorded a bucket before Jamal Thomas scored four straight from the charity stripe to lead 82-77.
The Tornado had some life after getting fouled on a three-point attempt with less than 10 seconds to go. King connected on all three to trim the deficit to 82-80. Khalil Ridges sealed the win with a pair from the stripe for the 84-80 upset victory.
UP NEXT
Chowan travels to Gaffney, S.C. to take on the sputtering Limestone Saints. Tip-off is slated for 7:30pm on Wednesday, January 15.
