Mansfield Senior used a pair of solid bookend performances to down Ashland 70-61 in a game that was typical of an Ohio Cardinal Conference battle.
The Tygers connected on four of their first five shots from the field to open the game and then calmly drained nine consecutive free throws in the final 1:43 of the game to seal the victory and keep pace with Lexington in league play.
“We expect nothing less when we come to Ashland,” Senior coach Marquis Sykes said of the Friday night battle. “We always have close, tight, hard-fought games over here. Coach [Jason] Hess always has his guys ready to play. And it was senior night for them, so we knew they would come out and be ready to play.”
Both teams played a near-flawless opening eight minutes, with the Arrows taking a 15-14 lead at the end of one quarter. Ashland’s Keslar Bates scored eight points for the Arrows in the quarter to keep Ashland within striking distance.
The next eight minutes were a carbon of the opening eight with the Tygers in the lead 28-27 at halftime.