LEXINGTON – Burly senior James Ort started the game on the Wynford bench Wednesday night.
The 6-foot-4 center’s arrival on the court helped spell the end to Mansfield Christian’s season.
Ort scored 18 points and pulled down 13 rebounds as the Royals knocked off the Flames 66-52 in the Division IV basketball sectional semifinals at Lexington High School.
“They killed us on the glass,” Flames’ coach John Kurtz said. “That was the game. We were concerned coming in about their outside shooting and their rebounding. We did OK in the first half (which ended tied at 28), but at the end of the third and beginning of the fourth quarter, it was horrible.”
Wynford (14-9) had a 44-27 rebounding edge and collected 18 second-chance points, compared to just four for Mansfield Christian (14-9). Jordan Creel, another 6-4 senior, had 11 rebounds for the Royals.
“Some of it was we didn’t do a good job of checking out. Other times we were out of our defensive rotation and had no one blocking out on the back side. But they are just big,” Kurtz said.
BREAKING IT OPEN
Despite the size disadvantage, MCS led 36-35 with 4:56 left in the third quarter. That’s when Wynford went on a 12-3 run to take a 47-39 lead at the end of the period. The Flames had one field goal and one free throw on their final 11 possessions of the quarter.
Ort, built like a football offensive lineman, opened the fourth quarter with four straight baskets, three of which came on second or even third chances. His efforts helped the Royals hold a 32-10 edge in points off the bench.
Wynford coach Jason Engel said his team knew rebounding was essential.
“When we went over the scouting report, we knew the keys would be controlling the boards, keeping their point guard (Jared McPeek) out of the line and Brandon Mount … he is just a great player,” Engel said. “When (MCS) went small (due to foul trouble), we knew they had no one to match up with Ort. He played very hard tonight.”
MOUNT SHINES
The aforementioned Mount ended his four-year starting career for the Flames with a flourish. He posted 24 points on 8 of 13 shooting and led MCS with six rebounds. He also had two steals and drew 10 fouls from Wynford defenders.
“We played hard and we played together as a team,” the 6-1 senior said. “Their offensive rebounds killed us, especially in the second half. But I am proud of the way we played, even when we got behind.”
Kurtz was equally proud of Mount’s final performance for the Flames.
“Brandon Mount is just a great kid. He takes every game and every practice seriously and does all he can do to get better every time he is on the court,” Kurtz said. “He is the kind of kid you are proud to say came through your program. He is a great player and an even better young man.”
The coach said Mount is typical of his entire team, especially the senior class.
“We started the season 2-4 and were really struggling,” he said. “But we grew as a team. In my 25 years of coaching, this team made the most improvement from beginning to end of any team I have had. We didn’t always have the most talent on the floor. But these kids worked hard and just kept getting better.”
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Mount was the only Flame in double figures. McPeek, just a sophomore, finished with eight points and senior Aaron Mitchell added seven. MCS shot 34 percent from the field (18 of 53) and just 11 of 20 at the foul line. The Flames had just seven turnovers.
Braxton Tea backed Ort with 13 points and Jack Reed added 11 for the Royals, who shot 47 percent from the floor (26-55) and added 10 of 15 at the line.
The win moves Wynford into Friday night’s 8 p.m. sectional title game against fellow Northern 10 opponent Buckeye Central. The Bucks knocked off Norwalk St. Paul in the first game on Wednesday night. The first game on Friday night pits Mansfield St. Peter’s against Danbury Lakeside.
