Trazon Lang goes up for a basket against the Polar Bears in the 39th District boys basketball championship game.
The 2026 39th District boys basketball runners-up, the Bracken County Polar Bears.
The 2026 39th District boys basketball champions, the Mason County Royals.
Believe, play with pride and find a way to win.
Those were the words going through the heads of each member of the Mason County Royals when they took their home floor of the Fieldhouse in the 39th District championship game against the No. 1 seed Bracken County Polar Bears, aiming for their 10th consecutive district championship win.
“Of all the things we’ve been through — the battles, the ups and downs. There’s been a lot more downs than probably ups, but I just told our guys, ‘Continue to believe, continue to trust the process.’ When we came in at the end of last week to start to prepare for the district tournament, I looked every one of our kids in the eyes and I said, ‘I’m gonna tell you right now. The feeling you’re about to experience after Tuesday night, and more importantly after Thursday night, is going to be phenomenal.’” said an emotional Mason County Royals head coach, Brian Kirk.
However, the path to a district championship win is never easy, even when it has happened nine times before.
Bracken County pulled ahead of the Royals early due to strong 3-point shooting from Polar Bear Teegan Feldhaus. By the end of the first quarter, the Polar Bears led 19-11, a lead they hoped to extend throughout the remainder of the first half. However, several trips to the free throw line and a strong offensive push from Mason County in the second quarter put them back in the game, outscoring the Polar Bears 24-12, up 35-33 at halftime.
“There was a few things defensively that broke down, that we didn’t execute like we wanted to. Especially in the ball screen action. We got caught in the screens, we were trailing, things that we weren’t supposed to do,” said Coach Kirk. “Teegan Feldhaus, he was on fire tonight but give credit to our kids. We had a big second quarter there. Even though we got down double digits, our kids continued to fight, they continued to believe and continued to trust one another.”
Bracken County regained the lead at the end of the third quarter, putting up 21 points to Mason County’s 16 for a three-point, 54-52 lead as both teams raced into the fourth quarter. They continued to battle throughout the last eight minutes, the Polar Bears leading 71-64 with just 38 seconds remaining, but a strong late-game rally from Mason County tied the contest 71-71 right at the buzzer, sending the match into overtime.
“It was just believe. The gym started to empty. There was people exiting the Fieldhouse. It’s a damn shame they missed an exciting ending to a basketball game,” said Coach Kirk. “Credit to the fans that continued to stick around, that continued to believe as well. Our bench, we had three guys foul out and kids stepped up in crucial minutes of the game. Riley Lykins stepped up, Hollis Chisley, 19 points, big three after big three, the and-1 to put us into overtime.”
Tied with four extra minutes on the clock, the Royals returned to the floor determined to make the most of the opportunity. Several more trips to the free throw line on both ends of the court and one more strong offensive push from Mason County finally saw them outscore the Polar Bears 13-7 in overtime, giving them the win and cementing the Royals as kings of the 39th for a decade.
“When you get a chance to cut the net down in the Mason County Fieldhouse, it’s something you’ll cherish for the rest of your life, and these kids, it’ll be a moment they’ll never forget,” said Coach Kirk.
The 2025-2026 season was a tough one for the Mason County Royals, sitting at 7-19 on the year with two historic losses to both the Polar Bears and Saint Patrick Saints. The Royals pulled it off in the end, though, and proved once again that come postseason, Mason County comes to play.
The draw for first-round 10th Region boys basketball tournament opponents is set for this morning, with all games to be played at the Mason County Fieldhouse. The tournament is scheduled to run from March 4-10.
BRACKEN COUNTY: 78
MASON COUNTY: 84
POLAR BEARS
19-12-21-19-7 – 78
ROYALS
11-24-16-20 – 84
Scoring
Bracken: Feldhaus 36, Burton 11, Benedict 9, Tucker 6, Sweet 5, Kirk 4, Wallingford 4, Daughtery 3
Mason: Brookbank 21, Chisley 19, Merz 18, Lang 8, Lykins 8, Gil Campbell 5, Fox 3, Hughes 2
Game Stats
Field Goals: Bracken 24/64, Mason 26/63
3-Pointers: Bracken 10/18, Mason 10/26
Free Throws: Bracken 20/32, Mason 22/36
Fouls: Bracken 29, Mason 27
Records: Bracken 14-15, Mason 7-19
