WOOSTER — Christmas vacation triggered a long break amid the Mansfield Senior boys basketball season.
But the Tygers showed no rust at all in their first game in two full weeks on Friday night.
Coach Marquis Sykes’ squad outscored Wooster in every quarter while rolling to a solid, 61-45 victory in an Ohio Cardinal Conference road clash.
Senior Kyevi Roane controlled the lane at both ends of the floor with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Freshman sensation Kaylen Brooks contributed 17 points, while Andrew Brooks Jr. posted nine points and seven rebounds. Rashad Reed Jr. netted nine points, too, in a balanced offensive performance.
The Tygers made 47 percent of their field goals (17 of 36) and 82 percent of their free throws (9 of 11).
Wooster suffered nearly twice as many turnovers as Senior High (13 to 7) in dropping its first conference game of the season.
Mansfield Senior edged to a 14-11 first-quarter lead, and opened a 27-22 halftime margin. The Tygers were in charge 41-33 heading to the final eight minutes, and pulled away with a 20-12 advantage in the fourth period.
Brady Bowen’s 21 points represented the Generals’ only double-figure scoring performance.
Mansfield Senior improved to 7-1 overall, 4-1 in the OCC. The Tygers have a quick turnaround, and will be back in action Saturday afternoon. The junior varsity tips off at 12:30 p.m. vs. Maumee Valley at the Harvest Prep New Year Bash.
Wooster dips to 6-3 overall, 4-1 in the conference.
Three OCC teams now have just one loss in league play, the Tygers, Generals and Lexington.