ST. LOUIS, MO. – No. 2 seed William Jewell captured the 2026 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Men's Basketball Championship title on Sunday with a 67-48 victory over No. 8 seed Drury in the Mark Twain Building.
William Jewell, winning its second GLVC title in three years, clinches the league’s automatic qualifying bid to the 2026 NCAA Division II Midwest Regional. The Cardinals will face top seed and hosts Walsh in the first round of the NCAA Midwest Regional.
The Cardinals took full control of the game, taking the lead at the 14:38 mark in the first half and never looking back. The Cardinals led the nine at the break having made three more field goals and five mor three-pointers than the Panthers. The second half was a lot slower for both sides with only 17 shots made between the two teams. The Panthers kept it within arm’s reach until the 2:57 moment where the Cardinals lead increased to 15 points.
Kyle Scharbrough led the Cardinals in scoring with 20 points off the bench. Bradley Lightbourne added a double-double with 18 points and 14 rebounds, while Justice Sutton and Isaac Patterson adding 15 and 14 points respectively. Those four were the only points scorers for the Cardinals.
Drury’s team-high was scored by KeShaun Thomas and his 14 points, 14 rebounds, and three steals. Emanuel Prospere II added 13 points and grabbed seven boards. Colin Hardrick also had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Keion Epps added 11 points off the bench.
Patterson, Sutton, and Lightbourne were named to the All-Tournament Team for William Jewell. Drury’s Hardrick and Zach Howell rounded out the five-player squad.
2026 GLVC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
- Isaac Patterson, WJC
- Justice Sutton, WJC
- Bradley Lightbourne, WJC
- Zach Howell, DU
- Colin Hardrick, DU