A fast start on Tuesday against Bracken County helped the Mason County boys’ basketball team to their first win of the season.

It took until the second half on Friday to get going, but a 21-4 run to start the third quarter propelled the Royals to a 76-45 victory over East Carter.

“I think we were a little lackadaisical there in the first half. We were not being aggressive against the zone. We were just kind of being passive around the perimeter,” said Mason County coach Brian Kirk. “We made those adjustments in the second half. The big thing we’re talking about is our defensive intensity and I think that’s what triggered some of our transition points there in the second half.”

The two teams entered the break tied, 25-25, after layups from Jordan Brooks and Ethan Miller. A jumper from Donovan Damron after a Mason County turnover gave the Raiders the lead early in the third quarter, but from there it was all Royals.

Mason County scored the next 11 points, starting with a 3-pointer from Jeremiah Jones and ending on a steal and layup from Xylon Frey. The Royals forced 15 turnovers in the second half and 26 in the game, scoring 30 of their 76 points off turnovers. Of those 30 points, 23 were in the second half.

“It’s a good thing, because when somebody gets going, the rest of the team gets going,” said Jones. “That’s what got us going – just moving the ball, getting layups and then kicking out and getting open threes.”

Damron ended the drought for East Carter, but Mason County answered with 10 points in a row. In the 21-2 run, five different Royals scored to take a 46-29 lead.

It was a second half started without leading scorer Jaylen Lofton, too. The senior picked up his third foul of the night with 5:11 to play in the first half after scoring eight points. He returned with 3:34 to go in the third and made it known as soon as he entered with a steal and layup during the run.

“Coach Kirk came in there and got us going. He said, ‘Let’s get it. We’re not playing our type of basketball,’” said Lofton. “So we made a change and came out in the second half and did what we’ve got to do.

“It’s great knowing I can come out whenever I need to and they’re going to keep the energy going and it’s going to be great for them the next two or three years,” added Lofton. “They’re going to take over.”

The Royals finished the quarter ahead, 52-37, and outscored the Raiders, 24-8, to close off their second straight victory. With a 59-39 lead in the fourth, Mason County went on an 11-2 run that was highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from Braden May, who finished with 14 points in the contest, after an old fashioned three-point play to start the stretch.

“That comes from confidence – just seeing the ball go through the basket. I think Braden is a prime example there. He attacked strong, got the and-one, saw the ball go through the net, got his free throw and then he responded with two big threes right after that,” said Kirk. “That’s just important to see the ball go through the basket.”

Mason County shot under 33 percent from the field in the first half and were just 20 percent from beyond the arc. The Royals held a 16-14 lead at the end of the first after Lofton knocked down a triple at the horn and extended the lead to five with 5:24 to go in the second quarter, before East Carter tied it heading into the break.

Lofton and Frey each finished with 15 points. Behind May’s 14 points were Jones with 13 points, nine rebounds and five assists and Carson Brammer and Jake Swolsky with six points each.

“They’re playing together, they’re sharing the basketball, they’re making the better pass – we’ve been putting a lot emphasis on shooting the basketball the past week in practice and I think it’s going to continue to show,” said Kirk.

The Royals improve to 2-4 with the win and will host Robertson County on Saturday in the US Bank Mike Murphy Classic. The game is scheduled for 8 p.m.

Brooks finished with 12 points to lead East Carter, while Treven Tussey had 11, Damron had eight and Timmy Pope had six. The Raiders fall to 0-6 and are scheduled to travel to Lawrence County on Thursday.

ROYALS 76, RAIDERS 45

EAST CARTER—14-11-12-8—45

MASON COUNTY—16-9-27-24—76

Scoring:

EAST CARTER (45) — Brooks 12, Tussey 11, D. Damron 8, Pope 6, Miller 4, J. Damron 2, Adams 2

MASON COUNTY (76) — Lofton 15, Frey 15, May 14, Jones 13, Brammer 6, Swolsky 6, Sweet 4, Highfield 2, Black 1

Field Goals: East Carter 20/60, Mason County 33/68

3-Pointers: East Carter 1/12, Mason County 4/11

Free Throws: East Carter 4/11, Mason County 5/10

Rebounds: East Carter 42 (Brooks 7), Mason County 41 (Jones 9)

Assists: East Carter 4 (Miller 2), Mason County 19 (Jones 5)

Turnovers: East Carter 26, Mason County 21

Records: East Carter 0-6, Mason County 2-4

Lofton
https://maysville-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_masonboy2-1.jpgLofton

Frey
https://maysville-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_masonboy20.jpgFrey

May
https://maysville-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_masonboy3.jpgMay

Jones
https://maysville-online.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/web1_masonboy5.jpgJones
Four score in double figures for Mason County

JARED MACDONALD

[email protected]