MANSFIELD – St. Peter’s was not in a sharing mood on Friday night.
Again.
For the second season in a row, the Spartans ended their regular season by knocking off Mansfield Christian, 49-43, to claim an outright Mid-Buckeye Conference championship, denying the Flames a share of the crown.
The win closes St. Peter’s regular season at 19-3 overall, 11-1 in the eight-team league. The Flames, who finish their regular season at Crestline tonight, fell to 13-8 overall, 8-3 in the conference.
“Back-to-back years, it’s come down to the last game (for the league title),” St. Peter’s second-year coach Joe Jakubick said. “Last year it was at our place. This year it’s on their floor. We knew coming here on their Senior Night with a chance to win a share of the title that (Mansfield Christian) would come ready to play.”
The win also gave St. Peter’s a sweep of the season series with the two victories coming by a combined 10 points.
“It’s a rivalry game,” Jakubick said. “No matter how much you try to calm your kids down, there is going to be a lot of emotion in this game.”
Mansfield Christian coach John Kurtz said his Flames just couldn’t come up with a big shot down the stretch. St. Peter’s led by 10 at the half (27-17), but MCS trimmed the deficit to five going into the final quarter. The hosts got no closer in the final period.
“We just weren’t able to make that key shot or make that key play,” Kurtz said. “When you are playing against a good team, you just have to be able to make that shot or make that play.”
ANOTHER STAR
The Spartans have had a variety of players step into leading roles this season. Friday night it was 6-foot-2 senior Ryan Payne. Heled the Spartans with 12 points, a key factor since sophomores Mason Campbell and Jared Jakubick, who both averaging 14 per game, combined for just 14 against the Flames.
Included in Payne’s total were both ends of a 1-and-1 with 24 seconds left and the Spartans clinging to a five-point lead.
“Ryan Payne was huge tonight,” Jakubick said. “It’s been someone different almost every night for us this season and tonight it was Ryan’s night. We knew coming into the game that he would have some opportunities given the way they defended us. He took advantage of those chances.
“Those foul shots late were important. He has worked hard on his foul shooting. He was not a good free throw shooter last year and this year he is approaching 80 percent. I am proud of his improvement,” Jakubick said.
IMPROVED FLAMES
MCS had several chances in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to just two or three points, but had five scoreless possessions in a row (three turnovers, two missed shots). Senior Brandon Mount scored seven of his team-high 15 points in the final quarter for the Flames.
“Our seniors (including Mount, Abe Jessee, Alan Harris, Kendall Cross and Aaron Mitchell) are just a great group of kids,” Kurtz said. “They have a lot of heart. I don’t think these kids get enough credit for the season they have had. We lost our point guard and probably our best player (senior Stevie Brown) to an ACL tear a few weeks before the season started. We had a player transfer to Mansfield Senior where he ended up starting.
“This team has improved so much during the season. The difference between where we are now and where we were when the season started is night and day.”
Mount was the only Flame in double figures, though they got six points each from Mitchell and sophomore Jared McPeek.
Payne was the only Spartan in double figures. St. Peter’s also got nine points from Jakubick and eight from junior Tyson Kent.
St. Peter’s shot 44 percent from the field (19 of 43) and added nine of 15 at the line. MCS shot 36 percent from the field (17 of 47) and six of 12 from the line. The Flames had a 32-27 rebounding edge, but committed one more turnover, 11-10.
TOURNAMENT TIME
St. Peter’s opens the Division IV sectional tournament Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Lexington when the Spartans take on Monroeville, 3-18 going into this weekend. MCS also plays in the Lexington sectional. The Flames play Wednesday at 8 p.m. against Wynford.
