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Royals hold off comeback bid by Holmes
Sunday, March 23, 2008 9:19 PM EDT
After riding an emotional roller coaster throughout most of the day Saturday, the Royals held off a late comeback bid by Holmes to capture a 57-48 victory in the Sweet 16 championship game.
The excitement of a semifinal win over Shelby County and the ensuing appearance in the finals suddenly turned to apprehension when the team was informed that senior Trevor Setty, who had left the bench after a hard intentional foul on Ethan King in the semifinal, would be ineligible to play in the championship. Shortly afterward, KHSAA officials notified the team that after further review the decision had been reversed and Setty would, in fact, be able to play.
"We got blindsided by that at 7:00," Mason County coach Chris O'Hearn said. "We pleaded our case, pleaded our case and started warmups without him thinking he was out. Finally, common sense took over, and we appreciate the KHSAA looking into it, investigating it and making the right decision."
Nobody took the news harder than Setty, an emotional team leader.
"Coach told me I wasn't going to play, and I'd rather die than have that feeling," Setty added. "I didn't want to let everybody down, and I've never had a feeling like that in my life. I told my teammates and everybody started crying. Darius (Miller) and I hugged for about five minutes and he told me they were going to win this for me."
Once the game got under way, it quickly turned into a defensive battle. Mason County took an early lead and a 13-9 advantage at the end of the first quarter. In a second quarter in which both teams had trouble finding the basket, Holmes took a brief lead when Arrez Henderson sank a three, then stole a pass and finished with a dunk on the other end. Seconds later, however, Miller answered with a basket and teamed with Keith Downing, usually known more for his defensive abilities, as the Royals closed on an 8-2 run for a 21-16 halftime lead.
Following Friday's game in which the Royals torched Paducah Tilghman on 42 percent shooting from three-point range, O'Hearn made note of the fact that a team can't always count on hot shooting, but can always control its intensity on defense and the boards. In the final, when the Royals only made one three, they gained the upper hand by outrebounding the Bulldogs 37-23 while holding them to 36 percent shooting.
"(Fridays assessment was) perfect for tonight's game," said O'Hearn. "We struggled offensively, but that's to Holmes' credit. They're a very good defensive team. We missed some open shots early but got offensive rebounds and kept pressuring them on the defensive end."
As Mason County began to feed the ball to Miller in the post, the Royals opened the second half on an 8-0 run and pushed their lead as high as 39-24. Miller, who took tournament MVP honors, scored 19 of his game-high 24 points in the second half.
"We committed to getting the ball to Darius in the post, because they were guarding him one-on-one and that's where it had to go," said O'Hearn. "He just took over down there and scored."
Down 41-27 going into the final quarter, Holmes mounted a comeback behind Henderson and Elijah Pittman, a sophomore who had been primarily a junior varsity player before putting up 14 points per game in the Sweet 16 and earning his first start Saturday. Holmes scored the first eight points of the quarter and would get as close as 51-45 when Pittman sank a three at the 2:11 mark. The Bulldogs would come no closer though, as Mason County was able to close out the game from the line.
Russ Middleton added 13 points for the Royals, while Downing chipped in a career-high 10. Henderson led Holmes with 18, followed by Ricardo Johnson's 15 and Pittman's 12.
When all was said and done, O'Hearn noted that his team's difficult schedule, which involved demanding travel and matchups against some of the top teams in the state and the country, helped prepare them for the whirlwind weekend in Lexington.
"When we went to Pikeville, Hawaii and the Fifth Third, we played nine games in 13 days against great competition," O'Hearn said. "I thought that was huge for tonight because this type of tournament is very demanding physically and mentally."
O'Hearn thanked seniors Miller, Setty, King and sixth-man Jackson Tolle for what they meant to the program and their influence on younger players.
"I've coached them for a long time," said O'Hearn. "They're very, very good basketball players, but they're better people. They're just a pleasure to be around and they're good with little kids and they act the right way on and off the floor. They have great personalities and we hope our younger kids learn from their experience with them."
Among a throng of players, coaches and various members of the Mason County family celebrating on the floor after the game, perhaps Setty summed up their feelings best.
"We're the best team in the district, best team in the region, and in my opinion, the best team anywhere in the state," he said. "I think we proved it tonight. We've got the best player in the state, the best role players in the state and the best coaches in the state."
Mason County 13 8 20 16 -- 57
Holmes 9 7 11 21 -- 48
MC: Miller 7-11 10-13 24, Middleton 5-12 2-5 13, Downing 4-5 2-4 10, Setty 2-6 2-2 6, King 1-5 0-0 2, Hamm 0-0 2-4 2. Totals 19-39 18-28 57.
H: Henderson 8-19 1-4 18, R.Johnson 5-10 3-6 15, Pittman 5-14 1-1 12, Avery 0-3 3-4 3, J.Johnson 0-2 0-0 0, Riley 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 18-49 8-15 48.
Three-pointers: MC 1 (Middleton), H 4 (R.Johnson 2, Henderson, Pittman).
Records: Mason County 34-4, Holmes 34-3.
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