By Beth Pyne (February 21, 2002)

In a game of scoring runs and momentum changes, it was the Mustangs who made the final push, prevailing 55-52 over Strasburg last night on the Rams’ home court in the first game of the Bull Run District Tournament.

Down by seven with under two minutes remaining, Mason chipped away at the Rams’ lead, cutting the score to 50-52. At the 15-second mark, Strasburg knocked the ball out of bounds, giving the Mustangs a chance to set up a play. They found junior Bubba Olson open on the inbounds and he knocked down a three-pointer to put his team up by one.

Strasburg could not respond with a score at the other end of the court and was forced to foul. Olson tallied another two of his team-high 11 points on the one-and-one bonus, sealing the win for the Mustangs.

Also leading the ‘Stangs were senior Ben Griffin with nine points and 10 boards, sophomore Matt Williams with nine each and sophomore Evan Hamme who chipped in with eight points. Senior guard Justin Barrow was solid on the defensive end, racking up seven steals.

In the next round of the district tournament, Mason squares off against Clarke County, one of the top ranked teams in the state. The game will be Thursday night, at 8 at Manassas Park High School. A win would put the Mustangs in the championship game and guarantee them a regional berth.