MANSFIELD — Marquis Sykes said his Mansfield Senior basketball team was not lacking for motivation Friday night in a 40-35 win at home against New Philadelphia.
“It was really important for us to come out here and get a win … on top of it being Senior Night, on top of it being a conference game, on top of us being at home … it was easy to find motivation for us to come out here and get a win,” Sykes said.
Sparked by 18 points from junior Kyevi Roane, the Tygers improved to 15-5 overall and 11-2 in the Ohio Cardinal Conference. It locked up second place in the league for Mansfield Senior with one OCC game remaining at Madison.
Mansfield Senior’s only league losses this year have come against Lexington (19-1, 13-0), which clinched the outright OCC title Friday night with a 69-34 win at West Holmes.
The win came in the final contest before seeds are determined in a loaded Division II district tournament field that includes Lexington, Shelby (16-2), Willard (15-3) and Bellevue (15-4).
Knocking off New Philadelphia (11-8, 7-6) for the second time this season will aid the Tygers’ chances in the computerized seeding process.
“(New Philadelphia) is a quality opponent. I know they have eight losses, but that is a well-coached, really good team. They stylistically give us problems with the way they play and our guys fought through and we made just enough plays to come out with the win,” Sykes said.
The Quakers certainly didn’t make it easy after a slow start, outscoring the Tygers 15-10 in the second quarter to knot the game at 19 by halftime.
New Philadelphia, which got 20 points from senior Colton Slaughter, held Mansfield Senior to eight points in the third quarter to take a 29-27 lead with eight minutes remaining.
But down the stretch was when Roane came alive, scoring eight points in the final period, including a perfect six-for-six at the foul line.
That production, coupled with a stifling man-to-man defense that limited the Quakers to a 31 percent shooting night, was enough to get the win.
“He is one one of the best players in the area, no doubt about it,” Sykes said of Roane. “He’s starting to be one of the best players in the state in Division II. I enjoyed watching his growth throughout the season.”
Roane connected on 6-of-10 shots and also had three rebounds and three blocked shots.
“We lean on him a lot offensively. We run a lot of stuff for him on offense and he gives us everything we need on both ends of the floor. He’s gotten several nice blocks. He’s gotten some steals and deflections, so he does a little bit of everything for us.
“We certainly wouldn’t have 15 wins without his production,” Sykes said.
The veteran coach said he believes his team will be seeded fourth or fifth in the district tournament, which should be good enough for a first-round game at home in the new postseason format.
“We’ll know Sunday afternoon when we have the draw meeting. Hopefully we have the opportunity to play at home in the first round — and then we’ll go watch the Super Bowl,” he said with a laugh.
“It doesn’t matter what your seed is because everybody has to beat really quality opponents if they want to advance and win a district championship. There’s really nowhere you can run or hide because there’s too many really good teams,” he said.
The Tygers have won three straight, including a 52-50 victory against state-ranked Columbus Bishop Hartley.
Is this team ready for the tournament?
“No,” Sykes said with a laugh. “But we still have the rest of next week , and then we’ll have a week in between our last (regular-season) game and our first tournament game where we get to really prep and practice and get a little bit better,” the coach said.
A Senior Night win carries special significance for Sykes, a Mansfield Senior alum who led his Tygers to the state Final Four in 1999.
“It’s super special. I’ve been watching these guys play since Friendly House when they were little bitty fellas running around. It’s been an honor and a privilege to be able to coach these young men, watch their growth and watch them mature.
“I can’t wait to see what’s ahead for them in the future.”
(Below is a PDF file with the complete box score from the Mansfield Senior-New Philadelphia basketball game Friday night.)