Mansfield Lions win state-ranked battle with Norwood

The Mansfield Lions’ basketball team picked up some momentum heading into the postseason after knocking off state-ranked rival Norwood and a 19-win Fordland team for a pair of Summit Conference road victories.
In the match-up with the Pirates, the Lions went on a late 22-17 run to hold on for a 67-62 win on Norwood’s home court.
With under three minutes to play, Mansfield’s Kaden Young converted a 3-point play for a seven-point edge.
Norwood’s Remington Hill answered  with his  own 3-point play with a 3-pointer from the corner to get the Lions’ lead down to one.
Up two with under 30 seconds remaining, Norwood was called for a flagrant foul on Fisher Croney, who was going up for a score.
Croney would make 1-of-2 to make it a three-point lead. The Lions’ Kellen Campbell followed with a basket in the paint. He then blocked a shot on the other end of the floor to help seal the win.
In the first quarter, the Pirates jumped out to a 17-13 lead as Remington Hill scored seven points and Brady Vaughan added five.
Haven Proetz rallied his team in the second quarter as he scored nine points during a 15-7 run to give the Lions a four-point edge at halftime.
The Pirates rallied in the third quarter with the help of Laken Coatney’s seven points in a 21-point frame.
Mansfield responded with a 22-point final eight minutes of play as Campbell scored nine points.
Hill scored nine points for the Pirates in the fourth in a losing effort.
Proetz scored a team-high 25 points in the win. Campbell added 18; both Malachi Ussery and Croney scored eight points; Young had six; and Cole Whorton had two points.
Hill led Norwood with 22 points.
Coatney had 14; Pierce Lawson 11; Brady Vaughan seven; Andrew Bradshaw had six points; while Carson Vaughan had two points.
In their regular season finale, the Lions traveled to Fordland and picked up a 69-62 victory after making 10, 3-pointers.
The Lions scored 27 points in the opening frame as Proetz made a pair of 3-pointers for 10 points.
Young also made two, 3-pointers and scored eight points in the big first quarter.
Campbell paced Mansfield with 10 points in the second quarter as the Lions led by six at halftime.
Proetz hit a pair of 3-pointers and scored eight points in the third as the Lions led by 11 entering the final eight minutes of play.
Mansfield would hold on late for the win after making 6-of-10 free throws.
Both Campbell and Proetz scored a team-high 23 points; while Croney, Young and Ussery each scored eight points.
Mansfield is now 20-6 on the season.