Mansfield Senior falls to Sandusky in closely contested boys basketball game

Saturday night at Mansfield High was quite the basketball game.

In a nonconference game that featured nine ties and spirited action from both sides, Sandusky was victorious 79-74 over Mansfield Senior as postseason play looms right around the corner.

Here were the takeaways:

The game was full of open-court play. Advantage: Tygers

Sandusky's resume coming in was well-documented.

17-1 record.

Sandusky Bay-Lake league champions.

Ranked No. 7 in the latest Associated Press Division II state poll.

The Blue Streaks are the real deal. So, what would help going against a team of that quality?

A good start, right? That's exactly what Mansfield Senior (12-7) did. The Tygers got out fast and in a hurry, with a 9-0 lead.

Why did they start well? Buckets in the open court is the answer.

Mansfield Senior hit the boards hard early and throughout, winning the rebounding battle 38-25, and once the Tygers secured the ball, they took off. Whether it was point guard Karion Lindsay (eight points, seven assists) breaking down a defender to score at the hoop, or Ja'Ontay O'Bryant (15 points, five rebounds) attacking the basket relentlessly or Kyevi Roane (18 points, 13 rebounds) going coast-to-coast and finishing strong inside, the Tygers were on the hunt to push the pace.

It showed, too. Mansfield Senior scored 44 points in the paint compared to Sandusky's 20.

"That's the way we wanna play. That's the way we practice and work on in the offseason," said Mansfield Senior coach Marquis Sykes. "So, no matter who we're playing, we wanna get up and down the floor. But at the same time when we're getting up and down the floor we can't lose our discipline, getting out of position defensively, reaching, gambling and not boxing out. That's what happened tonight in a fast-paced game, and we lost our discipline in certain spots."

Sandusky got its share of points in transition as well, and the end-to-end play from both teams was really entertaining but Mansfield Senior was a little more purposeful in that category. Still, Sandusky took a 40-33 halftime lead.

Sandusky's top form and skill showed when it mattered most

There were stretches in the game when the Blue Streaks seemed to be on cruise control. Almost like they knew they could turn it on when they needed to do so. It was noticeable on the defensive end — whether doing a poor job getting back on defense or not contesting enough drives by Tygers — the SBC league champions looked kind of lackadaisical.

But whether that was the case or not, the Blue Streaks showed in the second half why they're one of the top teams in the state.

If Mansfield Senior made its living in the paint, Sandusky outdid the Tygers from distance.

The Blue Streaks shot it well from deep, making 10 of 21 3-pointers (47.6%), particularly when they spread the floor against the Tygers' 1-2-2 half-court defense. The Blue Streaks usually had two guards at the top wide, two players in the corner and one player occupying the foul line.

In that look against the Tygers' compact defense, Sandusky's Chayce Carr had himself a day, scoring a game-high 23 points with five 3-pointers, including three in the fourth quarter.

"Looking at the film, one guy on the floor did shoot it very well," said Sykes. "[No.] 30 shot it really well. From what we've seen, he hasn't shot the ball that well. Our plan was absolutely to pack it in and force contested jump shots. We didn't contest enough jump shots. That's what we have to tighten up. We have to contest jump shots, box out better and rebound. We'll get there."

If it wasn't Carr doing the damage, it was the backcourt of Jason Henlon and De'Mar Moore making noise. Poised, calm and seeing the floor well with the ball in their hands, Henlon (14 points) was a stable presence for the Blue Streaks and Moore (20 points, eight assists, four rebounds) was the best player on the floor and a vital playmaker down the stretch.

Overall, the Blue Streaks exhibited more self-control, ramped up their defensive pressure, beat the Tygers' press consistently enough and executed a little better. And they made their free throws late in the game.

"They are a really athletic, dynamic group. I thought our guys stepped up and played hard," said Sykes. "Just defensively, we didn't get enough stops and rebounds to come out with the win. Can't give up 29 points in the fourth quarter and expect to win. We can't foul as much as we did.

"It was a combination of everything. When you play a team that good, you don't have to play perfect but you have to play well all four quarters."

jsimpson@gannett.com

Twitter: @JamesSimpsonII

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Mansfield Senior falls to Sandusky in closely contested basketball game