LUCAS, Ohio – Friday marked a special night for John Kurtz, and it caught him a bit by surprise.
The Mansfield Christian boys basketball coach pocketed his 300th career victory in a 60-48 Mid-Buckeye Conference game at Lucas.
“I kind of forgot about it to be honest with you,” Kurtz said sheepishly after the game. “You never really think about these kinds of things when you get started. You’re just trying to do a good job and keep a job.
“I’ve had some memorable seasons and I’m just glad to have the chance to celebrate with these fans.”
Despite the road venue, Mansfield Christian supporters were ready for the milestone. A significant group coaxed Kurtz back out of the locker room after the game, and insisted he and the team pose as several held 300 placards.
“That was pretty neat,” Kurtz said.
The moment wasn’t lost on Lucas coach Taylor Iceman. The Cubs’ boss was making his coaching debut, offering an intriguing bench duel of veteran and newcomer.
“That was pretty cool,” Iceman said. “That’s a great accomplishment. Coach Kurtz was coaching when I was playing so I have a lot of respect for him.
“The only thing is, I hate to see him have that night here. I would’ve loved to have read about it or seen it on TV rather than have it here.”
Lucas was playing its season opener after the Cubs’ football team reached the regional championship game. Iceman’s squad had no preseason scrimmages, so Friday night was their first action of any kind against a live foe.
Iceman said it showed.
“The thing we focused on was playing hard and I was very happy with the way we started. We played hard, and then we got tired.”
Lucas jumped on top early and owned an 11-5 lead. But Mansfield Christian dominated the second quarter with a 21-6 barrage, and the Cubs struggled to stay within striking range the rest of the night.
“We didn’t shoot the ball very well, but we got the ball inside better (in the second quarter),” Kurtz said. “We’re still relying on our defense. We wanted to keep them in the 40 range and we were able to do that.”
The Flames (2-1 overall, 1-0 in the Mid-Buckeye Conference) opened as much as a 19-point second-half lead and were on top 42-32 going to the final eight minutes. Lucas cut the margin to eight at one point, but could get no closer.
“It’s hard to put in an offense, a defense and do conditioning in two weeks,” Iceman said. “But we’re going to get better.”
Senior Alan Harris had 18 points to top the Flames, while Kendal Cross had 12 and Brandon Mount and JP Trueblood each contributed nine points.
Sophomore Brian Sauder paced the Cubs (0-1, 0-1) with 14 points, while junio Jacob Miler had 13 and Josh Murphy added nine.
“I don’t think we’ve put together all phases yet,” Kurtz said. “But we’re trying to make some progress.”
