MAYSVILLE — After waiting four days when weather forced a postponement, those that packed Mason County’s Fieldhouse Saturday night got an intense basketball game with two of the top teams in the state going head-to-head.
With a combined 44-5 record and a possible Sweet 16 rematch in the making, there was even an appearance by University of Kentucky coach Billy Gillispie.
“It was a great atmosphere,” Gillispie said. “Obviously basketball means a lot to so many people in Kentucky, that’s why there’s so many good teams.”
The game was intense but the host Royals busted out to an early lead and never looked back, downing Elliott County 90-61.
Mason County didn’t miss a field goal in the first 5 1/2 minutes and pulled away late in the first quarter. The Royals fired up three straight 3s to lead by 15 until Elliott’s Jonathan Ferguson broke the run with a bucket off a turnover. He added a free throw and Ethan Faulkner hit for two but Mason County led 26-16 at the end of the stanza.
Elliott County kept pace early in the second but began to having problems making the ball go through the hoop. The Royals quickly extended their lead to 19, up 48-29 at the break.
The Lions were able to cut Mason’s lead to 14 late in the third but Trevor Setty hit a pair of threes to stretch it back to 20. In the fourth quarter, Setty sparked a 21-2 run and the Royals led by 33 with over four minutes to play.
The Lions shot just 31 percent from the field.
“We held them to pretty decent field goal percentage and that was part of our goal — to hold them to under 40 percent,” Mason County coach Chris O’Hearn said.
Ferguson led the Lions with 27 points but shot 9-of-22 from the field. Ethan Faulkner and Timmy Knipp were the only other Lions to reach double figures. They scored 11 and 10 respectively.
Mason County was led by UK-signee Darius Miller with 29 points and 15 rebounds. He was 13-of-17 from the field.
Middleton finished with 27 points, hitting 5-of-8 shots from behind the arc. Setty added 15.
“We moved the ball well and shot the ball well,” O’Hearn said. “When we shoot the ball well, it makes everything else look good, too.”
Elliott County was convinced the No. 1 ranked Royals are as good as advertised.
“Their ranking speaks for itself,” Lions coach Rick Mays said. “When they’re clicking like that, I don’t know who could beat them.”
Mason County (24-3) will host Bryan Station Friday. Elliott County (20-3) hosts Russell on Tuesday.
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