The Mason High School boys' basketball team is on a District 29-2A two-game winning streak thanks to a 66-23 blowout of Center Point January 10 and a 52-42 victory against Johnson City January 7.
'It feels good especially for our kids to get on the winning side,' head coach Denis Cano said. 'We're coming together and doing what we need to do.'
Going into the games, Cano had said he saw the contests as opportunities for the Punchers (2-2) to show what they could do and how far they've come. In no game was that more evident than at Johnson City.
Mason led 10-9 after the first period and trailed 20-18 at the half and 39-35 after three quarters.
'We played really well,' the coach said. 'Early on, we were going too fast and throwing it away. We should have been up by double figures early. We had a lot of self-inflicted wounds.'
That allowed the Eagles to outscore the Punchers 19-17 in the third stanza.
But in the final quarter of play, Mason showed its might thanks to dropping in 17 points and allowing three to cruise to victory.
'The guys responded and played well,' Cano said. 'We were handling their press and turning on the pressure defense. We worked hard at moving our feet. When we pushed them, they started turning the ball over. They started having to foul us. Our guys did a good job of protecting the ball.'
And making free shots. The Punchers were Seven for 12 from the foul line in the fourth period.
'We hit our free throws to close them out,' the coach said. 'We had clutch shots.'
He credits sophomore guard Cooper Ratliff for ensuring the Punchers were in prime position to capitalize when the opportunities came.
'Cooper did a great job of getting guys in the right spots,' he said.
That included helping to set up sophomore Rylan Hershman for 'hitting a couple of three-pointers and free throws,' and senior Caden Hershman 'had big points inside.'
Junior Keltan Jordan and senior Chantz Reed led the defensive charge.
'Chantz did so much rebounding and played great defense,' Cano said. 'Cooper is the little brother to Chantz. It was good to see those two guys step up in leadership roles for this team. It was good to see it all come together.'
The Punchers returned home January 10 looking to continue the great play against Center Point. And this time, they got it from the opening tip.
Mason raced to a 16-9 lead after the first period then added another 21 points in the second quarter for a 37-11 advantage at the intermission.
During his address to the players, Cano told them the score was 'zero-zero' to start the third period.
'We did some good things in the second half,' he said. 'We a lot of guys contribute.'
Ratliff was credited with the way the offense worked and building a lead so that Cano could substitute freely and ensure multiple Punchers got extensive playing time. Among them was freshman Jaxon Valverde.
'He's so quick to the basket,' the coach said. 'Jaxon hit a 3-pointer and was taking it to the hoop and was getting the ball to our guys. They kept the offensive flow and found the open guys. We had about 12 to 16 breakaway points' Rylan Hershman scored 24 points.
'He lit it up,' Cano said. 'He scored a three-pointer every quarter except the fourth.'
Overall, Cano couldn't commend his players enough for their outstanding play.
'They grew up,' he said. 'They really did a lot of good things and prepared. We won the right way. We played our game and didn't play to their level. The confidence level is high.'
The Punchers travel to Junction Friday, January 17, and welcome Harper Tuesday, January 21. The subvarsity takes the court at 5:00 p.m. with the varsity at 8:00 p.m.
