TCC ends Mansfield Senior’s season in regional championship game

TOLEDO – The Mansfield Senior Tygers arrived at Savage Arena hoping to take one more step in their late-season surge.

Instead, Toledo Central Catholic’s size and physical play proved too much.

The Fighting Irish pulled away in the second half to defeat Mansfield Senior 81-61 in the Division III regional final Saturday night at the University of Toledo, ending the Tygers’ bid for their first Final Four appearance since 2005.

Central Catholic (23-3) advances to the state semifinal, while Mansfield Senior finishes its season 19-8 after winning seven straight games entering the regional final.

“That’s a really good basketball team right there,” Mansfield Senior coach Marquis Sykes said. “We just didn’t execute our game plan at a high enough level.

“A team like us, we have to be nearly perfect to pull that game out – because of their size, strength, athleticism, ability to shoot and ability to defend.”

Strong start before Irish surge

The atmosphere inside John F. Savage Arena – just five miles from Central Catholic’s campus – was electric from the opening tip. While the Irish enjoyed the shorter commute, Mansfield fans traveled more than 100 miles and showed up in force, matching the home crowd and making themselves heard early.

The Tygers showed no signs of being overwhelmed.

A thunderous dunk by Davion Mack ignited Mansfield’s crowd early in the first quarter, and sophomore standout Kaylen Brooks followed with a driving layup and a 3-pointer as the teams traded baskets.

By the end of the first quarter, the game was tied 16-16, with Mansfield matching the Irish’s energy despite Central Catholic’s size advantage across the board.

The second quarter remained tight for much of the period. Mansfield answered a Central Catholic 5-0 run with one of its own to tie the game at 21-21, and the teams were even again at 25-25 with three minutes remaining in the half.

But the Fighting Irish closed the period with an 11-2 burst, capped by a contested layup at the buzzer, to take a 36-27 halftime lead.

Central Catholic also held a key edge at the foul line in the first half, going 8-for-11, while Mansfield did not attempt a free throw until midway through the third quarter.

“They were a little bigger, a little stronger, attacked the paint a little harder,” Sykes said. “We settled for a lot of jump shots tonight. They pack the paint and make it really difficult to drive in there. That was one of the differences in the game.”

Photo credit: Zac Hiser (the story continues with more photos below)

Size, fast breaks fuel Central Catholic

Mansfield tried to rally in the third quarter behind Brooks, who buried a deep 3-pointer and later knocked down another to keep the Tygers within reach.

But Central Catholic continued to capitalize on turnovers and fast-break opportunities.

Senior guard Manny Johnson led the Irish with 24 points, while Cayden Kynard added 20. Forward Kaeden Carruthers controlled the boards with 14 rebounds.

A late 3-pointer by Johnson pushed the Irish lead to 61-41 at the end of the third quarter, and Mansfield never seriously threatened the margin in the fourth quarter.

Central Catholic dominated inside, outscoring Mansfield 54-26 in the paint and finishing with 16 fast-break points to Mansfield’s four.

The Irish shot 54 percent from the field, while Mansfield shot 39.7 percent.

Brooks led the Tygers with 22 points, while Davion Mack added 10 points and seven rebounds.

D.J. Corbin and D’Vontae Johnson finished with nine points each, and Andrew Brooks Jr. contributed seven points and seven rebounds for the Tygers.

Photo credit: Zac Hiser (the story continues with more photos below)

Season of growth for Mansfield Senior

Despite the loss, Mansfield Senior’s regional final appearance highlighted how much the team developed throughout the season.

The Tygers averaged 73 points per game and featured one of the region’s most explosive scorers in sophomore Kaylen Brooks, who averaged 21.8 points per game while also contributing 2.8 steals per contest.

Senior D.J. Corbin served as the team’s emotional leader and top rebounder, finishing the season averaging 8 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals per game.

Mansfield also received consistent contributions from several players, including junior Davion Mack (10.7 ppg), senior Rashad Reed Jr. (10 ppg), junior Andrew Brooks Jr. (8.5 ppg) and senior D’Vontae Johnson (7.8 ppg), who also led the team in assists.

Sykes said the team’s improvement over the final months helped fuel the postseason run.

“It’s been exciting,” Sykes said. “The guys really put in a lot of work these last couple of months to get to this point. There was a point in the year I didn’t think that this was possible.”

The turning point came midway through the season.

“We hit a turning point midseason where we played the toughest part of our schedule and took a couple bad losses,” Sykes said. “From that point, the guys started to dig deep and come together more.

“Late in the season, we really started to lock in on our game plans, coaching and being selfless basketball players.”

Photo credit: Zac Hiser (the story continues below)

Looking ahead: Future bright for the Tygers

Saturday’s loss marked the final game for Mansfield Senior’s senior class, a group Sykes praised for helping lead the program to a regional championship opportunity.

“I told them I love them,” Sykes said. “I told them I was proud of them. I told them I was thankful they put us in this position to have an opportunity to play for a regional championship.”

But the Tygers should return a core of underclassmen, including Brooks and several other key contributors.

Sykes believes the program’s momentum can continue.

“We’re thankful to our community,” he said. “They certainly got behind us 100 percent and created some long-lasting memories for these guys.

“Moving forward, the future is bright. We’ve got a lot of work to do – spring, summer and fall – but we’ll continue to grind and do all the things necessary to maximize our potential.”

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