CLEVELAND, Tenn. – With Oak Ridge looking to take down Tennessee Class AAA’s lone unbeaten boys’ basketball team, No. 1-ranked Cleveland would have none of it.
Raider Arena was rocking in the second half as junior Kley McGowan sent the Blue Raiders fans through the roof to help spark a 66-51 victory Tuesday night.
After an offensive rebound, Michael Dale hit McGowan in the left corner for a 3-point shot he made while being fouled to the court in front of his team bench. Just seconds after completing a rare four-point play, he skied for a two-handed jam off a steal for a 35-32 lead.
Chants of “fear the mullet” coursed through the home crowd as McGowan took off for 11 third-quarter points and also added a charge to help provide fuel to the fire.
“When we get momentum we are really dangerous,” said McGowan, who scored 18 points. “We have such a great fan base who helps us out a lot. When they start chanting for me, it really hypes me up. They have embraced us all and push us nightly.”