The Mansfield Christian Flames fans were silent for the first three minutes of the game, but their team came out roaring.
Flames fans sang “Silent Night” before tip off and stayed quiet until they broke open an early eight-point lead, and then the place erupted. The fans cheered their team to a 67-50 victory over the Lucas Cubs on Friday night at Mansfield Christian High School.
The game was not a total blowout thanks in part to early foul trouble, which saw the Cubs in the bonus at the beginning of the second quarter. Lucas capitalized by connecting on 17 free throws in the game, as they were only down 11 at the intermission. In the end it was too many turnovers and too many big shots, and big plays by the Flames.
Juniors Brandon Mount and Kendall Cross combined for 37 points, with Cross resting for much of the second quarter. Cross also added 11 rebounds to post his double double. Mount snatched seven boards.
“They had some trouble guarding our guards and containing Cross. He started for us as a sophomore last year and has really developed into a great player. He grabs rebounds and plays with passion,” Mansfield Christian Head Coach John Kurtz said.
Lucas relied on its lone senior Jakob Gerich to keep them in the ball game and he did his best to show his senior leadership. He posted a game high 23 points, connecting on five deep balls. Junior Sam Davis chipped in with eight points.
Splash Brother: Cross likes to link himself to the Splash Brothers of the Golden State Warriors guards Steph Curry and Klay Thompson. He did his best impression with time running out in the first quarter. Cross gathered a steal just inside mid court and heaved a deep three that fell in as the buzzer sounded.
“He wants everyone to call him part of the Splash Brothers, that shot will only add the fuel to that fire,” Kurtz said. The shot allowed the Flames to build a comfortable 10-point lead after the opening quarter.
Injury Battle: The Flames were without senior Ryan Smith after he suffered a hyper extended knee, which held him out of the game against the Cubs. The Flames were still able to muster a near perfect first half with out their senior leader.
“Not having Smith forced us to play some younger players tonight. So the fact that we did not turn the ball over a single time in the first half was huge not only to our younger players, but also to our success,” Kurtz added.
Young Cubs The Lucas Cubs dress just one senior and have a 29 man roster from varsity through freshmen. Big numbers mean a nice future for the Cubs.
“Our freshmen team last year won our conference, I also have 13 kids out for eighth grade basketball, our future is bright here at Lucas,” Lucas head coach Kyle Pertuset said. “We are hard on our guys in practice and the fact that they got down and were able to keep cutting at the lead like they did shows just how bad these kids want it and how they have changed.”
“These guys are sick of losing and they have a great future ahead. We will keep building pieces and it will come together as long as we rebound, defend, and execute on offense. If you want to beat Lucas you better get at us while we are young, because we are going to be really good very soon,” he said.
Up Next: Lucas drops to 0-3 on the year and will travel to Loudenville on the Dec. 27.
Mansfield Christian improves to 3-2 and will take an extended break before traveling Elgin High School on Jan. 3.
