LUCAS — As he tended to his postgame media obligations, Logan Toms wore an oversized gold chain with a roaring Lucas Cubs logo and the letters ‘TPW’ dangling from it.
“ ‘TPW’ stands for Tough People Win and it’s one of our football mottos,” Toms said after scoring 28 points in a Mid-Buckeye Conference title-clinching 61-58 win over Mansfield Christian at the Cub Cavs. “It goes to someone who shows toughness.”
Any of Toms’ teammates could have worn the chain after the gritty win played in front of a raucous near-capacity crowd. Lucas (14-3, 9-0) trailed 28-23 at the half only to outscore the Flames (15-4, 7-2) 38-30 after the break.
“I’m glad you guys weren’t in (the locker room) at halftime. I was fired up,” Lucas coach Taylor Iceman said. “We were getting outworked. We had stupid turnovers that led to offense for them and we weren’t boxing out.
“None of that is skill. That is effort.”
The Cubs opened a 56-50 lead midway through the fourth quartere on an offensive rebound and putback by Aidan Culler, but the Flames responded with a 6-0 run and tied it on D’Andre Martin’s layup with 1:58 to play.
Culler split a pair of free throws with 1:10 remaining before Toms scored on a steal and coast-to-coast layup for a 59-56 Lucas lead with 28 seconds left. Two Martin free throws with 12.9 seconds showing cut the deficit to 59-58, but two freebies by Toms with 11.7 seconds to play gave Lucas a 61-58 lead.
The Flames had a chance to force overtime, but Davis Wushinske’s potential game-tying 3-pointer from the left baseline caromed high off the rim and Culler pulled down the rebound as time expired.
The closing sequence was reminiscent of the first meeting at Mansfield Christian. The Flames misfired on a potential game-winning trey in the closing seconds of the 64-62 Lucas win on Jan. 5.
“Our boys played hard. I can’t fault them for that,” MCS coach Cary Craner said. “We had a couple good looks there that usually fall. We’ve just got to knock one of those down and get a break.”
Toms scored 17 of his 28 points in the second half. He now has 1,302 career points, 33 behind the school’s career scoring leader Logan Niswander (1,335).
“You can’t let him get into the paint. Once he gets in the paint, you’re in trouble,” Craner said of Toms. “He drives hard and he’s smart with the basketball. He’s a tough player.”
Culler backed Toms with 15 points. Greysen Jackson added seven.
Martin led the Flames with 12 points. Wushniske had 11 and Davion Mack added 10.
The Cubs have won six straight MBC championships. Lucas is 57-2 in MBC play since the 2018-19 season.
“This year feels amazing, especially since it’s my last year,” Toms said. “That means everything. It’s awesome to think about it.”