Braylon Hamilton is one of the Royals most accurate shooters, sinking 77 3-point field goals last season.
Mason County’s Blake Reed sits in second place as the 10th region’s all time lead scorer, with 3,481 points heading into the 2023-24 season.
The Mason County Royals are ranking high in pre-season polls across the state of Kentucky as the season gets underway this week.
Ranking as high as 12th by the Herald Leader, the Royals are poised for a top-tier season heading into 2023-24. Coming off of their strong season last year, where they went head to head with George Rogers Clark for the region title, the Royals lose several strong players, in Terrell Henry, Phillip Bierley, Riley Mastin and KG Walton, but have picked up the Bracken County greats, Blake and Caden Reed.
With the Reed’s dawning the Royal Blue, paired with returning Mason County power players like Braylon Hamilton, Carter McClanahan, Landon Scilley and Jake Feldhaus, Mason County has a powerful lineup across the board, and is eager to start putting up big numbers.
Mason County senior Blake Reed is just 61 points away from being the 10th region’s all time lead scorer, following just behind Tollesboro legend, Chris Harrison. Reed currently stands with 3,481, averaging 28.6 points per game in the 2022-23 season.
The Royals are currently picked as the favorite to put an end to GRC’s reign as 10th region champions, and secure a bid to the state tournament come March. Head coach Brian Kirk said that while the team appreciates the praise, they do not let rankings dictate the season, and that they will continue to put in the work day in and day out to continue to improve throughout the season.
Mason County will have had their first game of the season last night against 61st district powerhouse the Rowan County Vikings, in the Vikings’ home gym. Coach Kirk and the Royals are excited to get their season underway and begin their trip through the regular season, as they gear up for their numerous tournaments throughout the year. Coming off of a Kentucky 2A Championship run last season, defeating Lexington Catholic at the Owensboro Sportscenter, the Royals are eager for a repeat. Mason County will have their first 2A sectional game early next year, where they will take on the Vikings yet again on January 2nd.
The Kentucky 2A, the Mike Murphy Classic, the Legacy Nissan Dribble Drive, the Mason County Invitational and the Mike Murphy Classic round out their regular season tournaments for the year, all designed to get the team ready for post-season, as they continue to grow their strength before the end of February.
Once again the favorite to win the 39th district, the Royals look forward to compete against each of their district opponents, and hope to move forward to the 10th region tournament, where they look forward to competing against some of their biggest rivals.
Mason County continues to be a powerhouse year after year in the 39th district and the 10th region, and will their returning talent, and newcomers to the program, the Royals are looking forward to a successful season throughout 2023-24.
