Royals win a wild one over Ashland 64-53 in AIT finals

The Mason County Royals led by as many as 19 points in the second quarter and 18 in the third quarter but trailed by 4 early in the fourth quarter before pulling out a 64-53 win over the Ashland Tomcats in the championship game of the Ashland Invitational Tournament tonight. Ashland outscored Mason County 28-9 in the third quarter including an 18-0 run. Mason County outscored Ashland 24-11 in the fourth quarter. Ryne King and Rheuben Bluford came off the bench and scored 12 points a piece. That is a career-high for Rheuben Bluford. Justin Lang scored 11 points, Tyler Black and Treg Setty each scored 10, and Jordan Gilbert added 9 points. The Royals hit 11-of-12 free throws in the fourth quarter for the second straight night. Gilbert, Lang, Black, and Setty were named to the All-Tournament team. Mason County (9-2) hosts defending state champions Holmes Saturday night.