Boys’ Basketball
Mason Beaten at
Buzzer, 53-51
By Beth Pyne (Jan. 10, 2002)
| Mason's boys' basketball team suffered
a painful defeat last night on its home floor, as a Manassas Park lay-up
rolled through the net to break the tie just as the final horn sounded.
It was impressive that the Mustangs
were in a position to win, considering their slow start in the first half.
Lacking a shooting touch and struggling to handle the Cougars' full court
press, they found themselves facing a 13 point deficit after two quarters.
The third period was an entirely
different story, as the 'Stangs rallied behind the inspired play of senior
captain Ben Griffin to claw its way back into the game. Senior point guard
Justin Barrow found sophomore Sean Snider open for a short jumper in the
final seconds of the third, to put Mason ahead for the first time since
the opening minutes of the game |
Sophomore Reggie Whittaker goes
up for two of his
10 points in a losing effort against
Manassas Park
Photo by Charlie Starr
|
A back and forth final stanza followed,
with neither team able to break away. Mason managed to tie the game at
51 despite hot outside shooting by the Cougars and a questionable offensive
foul call. After Griffin's driving lay-in attempt narrowly missed finding
the inside of the cylinder, Manassas Park got the rebound and called a
time-out with enough time left for one play. When a Cougar’s three point
shot went long, it appeared the game would go into an extra period. His
teammate, however, was there to put it back up, where it bounced around
the rim for a moment before falling into the hoop to give Manassas the
victory.
Griffin racked up 20 points, 8 rebounds
and 7 steals. His effort was supported by senior Darrell Marsh’s 12 points
and junior Bubba Olson’s 8.
Mason is now 2-2 in the district,
after trouncing Manassas 58-33 over the winter break and defeating Rappahannock
last Friday by a score of 70-59. Against the Panthers, Marsh led the Mustangs
with 24 points and 10 rebounds, followed by Griffin, Olson, and sophomore
Reggie Whittaker, each with 10 points.
The JV team fared better last night
as they outdid Manassas, 63-49. Josiah Larson and Colin Molano had 17 and
11 points respectively in the victory.
Both teams will travel to Strasburg
next Tuesday for another district match-up.
|
