Mason’s Defense Shines in 41-31 Win Against McNick
CINCINNATI, OH — The 4th Annual Holiday Hardwood Classic concluded with Mason defeating McNick 41-31. The Comets allowed just nine points in the first half and outscored the Rockets 29-22 in the second half.
Both defenses came to play and showed their prowess early as the teams scored only eleven combined points in the first quarter. Mason’s Tyler Lupinski opened the game with a three-point play, but Matthew Ehlers and Owen Sanders each recorded buckets to put the Rockets ahead 5-3. The Comets’ Brycen Johnson drained a three as time expired to give Mason a 6-5 advantage entering the second frame. The Comets controlled much of the possession in the first quarter, but did not take many shots and executed the quick passing game nicely.
The second quarter contained much of the same tight, low-scoring play. McNick’s Grant Waters scored back-to-back baskets to reclaim the lead for the Rockets at 9-7, but the Comets staged a 5-0 run to end the half via a three-pointer from Cole Swanson and a layup by Brycen Johnson with 1:04 remaining. Mason entered the locker room up by three at 12-9.
After three scoreless minutes to open the second half, the Comets caught fire from beyond the arc as Jacob Lupinski and Wyatt Cooper each made threes to extend the Mason lead to nine at 18-9 with 4:06 left in the quarter. A layup by Johnson made it a 20-9 ballgame, but Waters kept the Comets in check with a three-point shot of his own. Following a 5-0 Mason scoring run by Swanson and Tyler Lupinski, McNick’s Owen Sanders hit a three to cut the lead back to 10. Still, the Comets led 25-15 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Mason continued its dominance in three-point shooting, going on a 10-2 run with 5:06 remaining that included two threes and stretched its lead to 35-17. In response, the Rockets pieced together a sustained 5-0 scoring run with 2:10 left with contributions from Ehlers, Sanders, and Waters. The teams exchanged blows in the latter minutes of the game, but Mason’s lead was insurmountable. The Comets closed out a 41-31 win as the buzzer sounded.
Both teams shot well from beyond the arc, but Mason made an impact from the free-throw line, as well. The Comets made 10 of their 13 attempted free throws. Owen Sanders scored 10 points for the Rockets, and Brycen Johnson added 10 for Mason.
Mason (8-1, 5-0 GMC) is back in the win column and will return home on Friday, January 9, where they’ll take on Colerain in Greater Miami Conference play. Meanwhile, McNick (7-1, 3-0 GCL Coed) travels to Walnut Hills for a New Year’s Eve matchup on Wednesday, December 31.
