MADISON TOWNSHIP — Jakob Legron wouldn’t make an All-Airport basketball team.
By looks alone, the 5-10 sophomore is an unlikely hero for a Mansfield Senior team that features some large-bodied leapers.
Looks can be deceiving.
Legron made his presence felt Friday night at Madison, coming off the bench to score 18 points in 14-plus minutes of playing time in the Tygers’ 71-62 win against the Rams in an Ohio Cardinal Conference game.
The win improved Mansfield Senior to 7-2 overall and 5-0 in the league. Madison, which saw a three-game winning steak snapped, slipped to 5-5, 2-4.
His production didn’t come as a surprise to Mansfield Senior coach Marquis Sykes, who saw his bench players outscore Madison’s substitutes, 34-0.
“Jakob is a guy who has really high expectations for himself. As coaches, we have high expectations for him,” Sykes said. “He is probably the hardest-working player I have ever coached, and that’s saying a lot, because we have had a lot of guys here who worked their tails off.
“He gets after it. He does everything he can in the weight room. He does everything he can in terms of individual instruction and the whole nine yards. So he is deserving of all the good plays that happen for him. He made it happen,” the Tygers’ coach said.
Legron connected on four of seven FG attempts, including two of three triple attempts with a quick release, to lead Mansfield Senior in scoring. He was also eight of nine at the foul line and had two assists.
He had 11 points in eight minutes in the first half when Mansfield Senior built a 39-31 lead at the intermission. Legron then scored the first seven points of the third quarter as the Tygers built a 10-point lead.
“He had a great night for us tonight. We have been waiting for one of those breakout games from him. We knew at some point it was going to come. He just had to catch up to the speed of the varsity game and get his rhythm,” Sykes said.
Legron was an example of a deep Mansfield Senior roster that had 10 players play six or more minutes, nine of whom scored.
In preparing for his team’s cross-town rivals, Madison coach Chris Armstrong said he was impressed with how hard Mansfield Senior plays and the depth of the Tygers’ roster.
“They put a lot of pressure on you. So the biggest question we had was can we withstand that pressure. Not only physically, but also mentally. It wears on you,” said Armstrong, whose team returned just one starter from a year ago.
“I told some of the younger guys (on the bench) that tonight they may get their feet wet. But I didn’t see a ton of fatigue until maybe the fourth quarter. My guys battled tonight,” he said.
The Rams trailed 44-33 with 6:16 left in the third quarter, but outscored the Tygers, 25-14, to knot the score at 58 with 5:15 remaining in the fourth. Keying the run was senior forward Jaden Jeffries, who finished with 27 points and eight rebounds.
Jeffries played all 32 minutes on a team that had six players on the floor for 24 minutes or more.
But Mansfield Senior regained the lead with 4:32 left and connected on 11 of 16 free throws down the stretch.
“Maybe it was fatigue,” said Armstrong, whose team knocked off non-league rival Ontario on Wednesday night. “We gave up a couple of offensive rebounds, committed a couple of turnovers. You tend to make some mistakes when you get a little tired.
“(Mansfield Senior) did a great job using their depth. Last year we were really deep and played 11 or 12 guys. With only two returning lettermen, we are just not as deep. But the guys were fantastic, fighting back. I am really proud of their effort,” he said.
Sykes said he and his coaches recognized Madison relies heavily on its starters, including freshman point guard Seven Allen, who finished with 14 points.
“That was something that we talked about, making sure that our bench production was high tonight. And making sure that there wasn’t any drop off when we did sub.
“For the most part, everybody that came in off the bench was productive, had good minutes and impacted the game in a positive way,” said Sykes, whose Tyers remain tied atop the OCC with unbeaten Lexington (7-0, 5-0).
Armstrong said the OCC is a tough, physical league for young players to learn on the job.
“We’re doing it with a freshman and two sophomores in that top six. So there are no shortcuts. In life, you can’t plant your crops in the summer and harvest them in the fall. But we’re working and we’re getting better, I think,” he said.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING: Kyevi Roane and Elias Owens each added 13 points for the Mansfield Senior, which shot just under 50 percent from the field (20-41) and added 25 of 35 at the foul line.
Owen Wigton had 10 for Madison, which shot just over 50 percent from the floor (19-37) and connected on 18 of 22 at the line.
Madison had a 23-22 edge in rebounding, led by Jeffries. Roane led Mansfield Senior with seven. The Rams turned the ball over 14 times, compared to eight for the Tygers.
UP NEXT: Both teams play again Tuesday in OCC contests. Madison is at West Holmes and Mansfield Senior hosts Ashland.
