ASHLAND — Jalen Reese and Asante’ Wilder switched roles, but the outcome was every bit as favorable for Mansfield Senior on Friday as it was throughout the fall.
Reese’s traditional three-point play with two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter — a sequence triggered by a Wilder assist — lifted Mansfield Senior to an edge-of-your-seat 64-61 win over Ashland at Arrow Arena.
The duo hooked up 46 times for 523 yards and a touchdown last fall as Mansfield Senior’s record-setting football team rumbled to a perfect 10-0 regular season record and berth in the postseason. Reese was Senior High’s All-Ohio quarterback and the shifty Wilder was a slot receiver.
On Friday, those roles were reversed.
The wild series was set in motion when Ashland’s Brett Vipperman misfired on a 3-pointer with less than 10 seconds remaining on the fourth-quarter clock and the score tied 61-61. In the ensuing scramble, Senior High’s Naradain James came up with the defensive rebound and managed to get the ball to Wilder, who lofted a perfect lead pass ahead of the pack to a streaking Reese. The 6-foot-3 senior swingman kissed the ball softly off the glass as Ashland’s Grant Denbow slammed into him. The free throw gave the Tygers (11-1, 9-1 Ohio Cardinal Conference) 64-61 advantage.
Ashland (4-8, 2-5) took a timeout to set up a final play, but Isaac White’s desperation mid-court heave was off the mark.
“It started with Naradain getting to the rebound and he kicked it to Asante’,” Reese said. “I didn’t think (Wilder) saw me at first but he had good vision. He got it up to me and I just finished and drew contact.
“I saw (Denbow) behind me and I knew he was going to end up fouling me so I braced myself to finish and get the and-one.”
The wild finish capped a heated contest that featured seven ties and seven lead changes. Mansfield Senior was whistled for two technicals and the Arrows attempted 34 free throws compared to 16 for the Tygers.
“It’s always tough for us to come here and play,” said Senior High center Donovyn Benson, whose steal and traditional three-point play gave the Tygers a 59-58 lead with 1:14 remaining. “The crowd is all in and everybody’s into it. It’s a tough environment and there’s always some adversity, but we always seem to come through.”
The Tygers led 15-11 after the first quarter and 25-14 midway through the second on a traditional three-point play by Reese, but Ashland closed the first half on a 14-7 run to stay within striking distance at 32-28 at halftime. The Tygers never led by more than six points in the second half and took a 48-43 advantage to the fourth quarter.
That is when things got interesting. The lead changed six times in the final four minutes.
“At this time of year … you want tested now leading up to the tournament,” Senior High coach J.T. Reese said. “You want a good, solid test to see how your team responds.
“In the second half of the season, you want to see where your team’s mettle is in game action and we saw that tonight.”
Benson, who suffered a mild concussion in last week’s win over crosstown rival Madison, led the Tygers with 22 points and six rebounds. The 6-foot-6 senior was 8-for-16 from the floor and 6-for-8 from the free throw line.
“It’s rare to see those back-to-the-basket post-up players who have a move to go to,” Ashland coach Tim Fralick said. “He definitely has a go-to move and what he does even better though is he gets position where he can get it and turn and shoot. He doesn’t really have to make a move once he gets it because he has worked himself into position.”
Reese backed Benson with 12 points and a game-high seven rebounds as the Tygers out-boarded the Arrows 36-22. Mario Davison and Marquez Cobb each had eight points, while DeJorr Gibson had seven points. Wilder had six assists.
Ashland was led by White, who scored a season-high 28 points. The junior guard was 6-for-17 from the field and 12-for-15 from the free throw line.
“They have what we like to call a killer out there,” Reese said of White.
Trey Smith back White with 14 points. Zach Stoops scored seven points off the bench for the Arrows.
“Overall we played well,” Fralick said. “We wish we could have gotten that one, but the bigger picture here is about the process and we are getting better.”
In junior varsity action, Mansfield Senior’s Mario Young scored 24 points as the Tygers picked up a 46-41 win. Griffin Gerwig led Ashland with 12 points, while Logan Brewer added 11.
Mansfield Senior returns to action tonight against Gahanna Lincoln in the 12th annual Ohio Scholastic Play-By-Play Classic at Ohio Dominican University in Columbus.
Ashland is at Orrville.
Follow Curt Conrad on Twitter @curtjconrad.
