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Royals deserve, claim second state championship
Sunday, March 23, 2008 5:50 PM EDT
There were wide smiles, tears of joy, heartfelt embraces and a truly joyous feeling in the air after Mason County's 57-48 triumph over Holmes, which gave the Royals their second state title.
Mason County's many loyal supporters are likely still experiencing that incredible feeling.
They turned out in full force for the championship game, with the majority of the 17,663 attendees dressed in Royal blue. They came anticipating their team bringing home the coveted prize that over 200 schools across the commonwealth would love to display in their trophy case.
But in Kentucky, there can be but one state champion, which is partially what makes the Sweet 16 such a special event.
When the first ball is tossed in gymnasiums for the first practice on October 15, players, coaches and fans dream of being the last team left standing in March.
It didn't come easily for the Royals, but it never does for a champion. It is a long road to the final game in March and Mason County encountered a few obstacles in their path, but they overcame them with perseverance and the will to win.
Darius Miller showed exactly how much he wanted the championship in the early moments of the third quarter of the title victory.
The obvious choice for Kentucky Mr. Basketball played with a purpose after being limited to five first half points and the Royals held a slim 21-16 lead heading into halftime. In the third quarter, he scored the first two times he touched the ball and followed that with a pair of free throws. After a steal and bucket from junior guard Russ Middleton with 5:49 left in the third, Mason County coach Chris O'Hearn was visibly fired up, along with the Royal fans, and it was 29-16.
Holmes, which showed its comeback ability in their semifinal win over Lexington Catholic (when they stormed back from an early 17-point deficit), never completely recovered. The Bulldogs did pull to within six points in the fourth quarter, but Mason County was not going to be denied. Clutch baskets down the stretch from Miller and Trevor Setty, along with four consecutive free throws by Miller, held off the 9th Region champions.
Miller scored 19 of his 24 points in the second half and did what great players are supposed to do. He stepped up and delivered when the game was on the line. He also did it at times in spectacular fashion, with hanging, twisting jump shots to go with emphatic blocked shots and dunks. He was the well-deserved Sweet 16 Most Valuable Player, scoring 77 points, grabbing 34 rebounds and adding eight blocks in four games.
But even with a player as marvelous talented as Miller is, it still requires a team effort to win a championship.
That's precisely what carried the Royals to the title.
Middleton was consistent throughout the tournament, scored 13 points and added five rebounds in the title game, and was named to the all-tournament team. The son of a former Mason County standout who played in the Sweet 16, Kelly Middleton, scored 54 points and led all players with nine three-pointers in the tourney.
Another all-tournament selection was senior Ethan King, who consistently came up with key rebounds and baskets throughout the event while scoring a total of 43 points.
Setty hit the critical three-pointers in the opening round tussle with Elliott County and finished the tournament with 38 points and eight threes.
Another key contributor was junior forward Keith Downing, who scored a career-high 10 points and snatched five rebounds in the title game.
The Royals also received solid play off the bench from senior Jackson Tolle and junior Ryan Hamm. Tolle was especially effective defensively in the 60-50 win over Shelby County in the semifinal and Hamm was superb handling the ball and also on the defensive end.
As O'Hearn said amidst the oncourt celebration, not only are the Royals champions on the court, but more importantly, off the court as well.
They were also a team in the truest sense of the word.
Being a champion means so much to a community like ours and we always like to identify ourselves with winners, but to get there, it requires a combination of factors.
Mason County was fortunate enough this season to have all of those, including splendid coaching from O'Hearn and his staff, talented players and a willingness to work diligently to achieve their highest goal.
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