MANSFIELD — Davion Mack has a long way to go if he wants to one day surpass Amarr Davis as the top scorer in Mansfield Christian basketball history.
But the athletic, 6-foot-2 sophomore got 30 points closer on Friday night.
Mack scored more than half of the Flames’ points in a 53-49 win against Mansfield St. Peter’s, including a perfect 8-of-8 from the foul line in the fourth quarter as the Spartans nearly rallied all the way from a double-digit deficit.
Mansfield Christian coach Cary Craner lost a tremendous senior class from last year’s 20-5 team, including Davis, who finished with 1,671 career points.
But it’s helpful to have Mack back on his side — though he is the only returning player who had significant varsity experience a year ago.
“We expect that out of him,” said Craner, whose team improved to 2-1 overall and 2-0 in the Mid-Buckeye Conference.
“He’s a super athlete … just a great kid. I can’t say enough good things about him. He had a great game tonight for us.”
photo gallery: mansfield christian 53, mansfield st. peter’s 49
The difference at the game came at the foul line where the Flames connected on 17-of-23, compared to 8-of-15 for the Spartans. Mack hit on 13-of-16 FTs by himself.
“We talk about foul shots … you have got to make foul shots to win games,” Craner said. “Davion comes in with a year under his belt and he made the free throws when we needed them tonight.”
Mack was the only Mansfield Christian player in double figures. Senior Evan Hager had nine points and senior Taylor Hahn added eight.
Mack certainly had the attention of Roy Shoulders, who returns to the bench again for St. Peter’s in his 36th year as a teacher at the school.
“He is a tremendous athlete, but he’s also a tremendous basketball player. I think sometimes people get lost in his athleticism and they don’t realize that he is a tremendous basketball player. He’s a difference-maker on the floor,” Shoulders said.
“He’s someone you have to respect his dribble, you have to respect his jumper, and his ability to get to the glass. I thought overall we did a fairly decent job against him. I thought we made him work for everything that he had,” the Sparans’ coach said.
St. Peter’s has had a tough-luck 1-2 start, including an overtime loss to defending MBC champion Lucas in the season-opener. After last year’s 3-20 season that saw a coaching change just two games into the campaign, Shoulders said he sees a difference already in his team.
St. Peter’s fell behind 30-20 three minutes into the second half and trailed by eight at the end of the third quarter. The Flames pushed the margin to 39-29 early in the fourth quarter and held a 47-40 lead with just 2:41 remaining.
The Spartans cut it to 47-45 before 6-2 junior Markeis Johnson fouled out with 1:28 remaining, finishing with 11 points — seven in the final quarter.
After his departure, Mack connected on six free throws in the final 90 seconds to seal the win.
“I think our team was calm down the stretch and we made plays to get back into it,” Shoulders said.
“I think in the last several years when this team was down, it just seemed like it was downhill. With this team now, we seem to fight when we’re in a deficit. We understand it’s one possession at a time.
“I was very proud of how we handled the last few minutes. Mansfield Christian made some clutch free throws, but I was extremely happy with how we fought to get right back into it again and put ourselves in a position to win,” Shoulders said.
Craner said he was not surprised to see a change in the Spartans.
“I knew they were going to play hard. I’ve seen some of their games. I knew they were well coached, a little bit more disciplined than they had been. Roy is a great coach and it’s fun to have him out there. They are a much-improved team,” he said.
Senior Dmoni Lentes also had 11 for the Spartans and senior Sidiki Sissoko chipped in 10.
UP NEXT:
— St. Peter’s travels to New London on Saturday night for a non-league game. The Wildcats fell to 0-3 Friday night with a 72-35 loss to Crestview.
— Mansfield Christian is home Saturday night against 2-2 Plymouth in a non-league game. The Big Red beat South Central, 59-45, on Friday night.
