Goodin too good, leads Taylor Co. past Mason Co.

Xavier University signee Quentin Goodin scored 28 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead the Taylor County Cardinals to a 94-65 win over the Mason County Royals in the first round of the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys Sweet 16 tonight at Rupp Arena.

Mason County was without its leading scorer, point guard Antwavon "Pig" Williams, who was dismissed from the team Wednesday.

After Darren Williams gave Mason County a 2-1 lead in the opening seconds, Taylor County reeled off nine straight points.

The Cardinals led by as many as 23 points in the second quarter and were up 41-23 at halftime.

Mason County cut the deficit to 15 early in the third quarter, but Taylor County answered with a 10-0 run. Taylor County's biggest lead was 32 at 94-62 with 1:06 left in the game.

Mason County missed its first 10 3-point shots and were 3 of 18 (16.7%) from behind the arc for the game.

Isaiah Garrison led the Royals in scoring with 18 points. Darren Williams and Leevi Dunaway scored 12 points apiece. Conner Sweeney had 10 rebounds.

TC (25-8) Rafferty 9, Gaines 11, Goodin 28, Sloan 18, Oliver 13, Smith 2, Irvin 2, Quinn 5, Ellis 2, Moore 1, Miller 1, McQueary 2

MC (23-11) Sweeney 9, Williams 12, Dunaway 12, Garrison 18, Lofton 7, Jackson 3, Perkins 4

TC  20 21 23 30- 94

MC 11 12 23 19- 65 

Mason Co. vs. Taylor Co. in state tournament tonight

The Mason County Royals play the Taylor County Cardinals tonight at 6:30 in the opening round of the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys Sweet Sixteen at Rupp Arena.

Mason County senior star Antwavon "Pig" Williams was dismissed from the team yesterday due to a violation of team/school policy according to school officials. Williams was Mason County's leading scorer with an average of 19.9 points per game.

Taylor County, the 5th Region champion for the second straight year, is 24-8 and has won 11 straight games and 17 of its last 18.

The Cardinals are led by Xavier University signee, Quentin Goodin, a 6-foot 4 guard who averages 23.9 points and 7.9 rebounds a game. David Sloan, a 6-foot guard, averages 20.3 points a game. Dylan Gaines, a 6-foot 4 junior who transferred from Warren East, averages 11.7 points a game. 

Taylor County lost to Hopkinsville in the first round of the state tournament last year. 

This is Mason County's first trip to the state tournament since 2010 when the Royals advanced to the semifinals. 

Mason County beats Augusta for region title

Mason County held Augusta to nine field goals and the Royals defeated the Panthers 48-41 tonight in the championship game of the 10th Region Tournament at the Montgomery County High School Arena.

Augusta only had four field goals in the first half, but made 10 of 13 free throws to stay in the game.

Mason County led 24-19 at halftime and led 36-28 early in the fourth quarter. Augusta went on an 11-0 run to lead 39-36 with 4:31 to play. Mason County answered by closing out the game with a 12-2 run to win the region for the 15th time.

One night after shooting 60% against Montgomery County, Augusta was just 9 of 36 from the field for 25%. Mason County shot 50% from the field  and 11 of 13 (84.6%) from the free throw line, including 8 of 8 in the fourth quarter.

Antwavon "Pig' Williams scored a game-high 20 points and held Augusta guard Connor Maddox to 14 points.

The win avenges a 63-61 loss to Augusta in the championship game of the 39th District Tournament.

Mason County will play 5th Region champion Taylor County in the opening round of the Whitaker Bank/KHSAA Boys Sweet Sixteen Basketball Tournament at 6:30 p,m, Thursday, March 17th at Rupp Arena.

It's the first time Mason County has advanced to the state tournament as the district runner-up.

MC (23-10) A. Williams 20, Garrison 2, Lofton 2, Sweeney 7, D. Williams 9, Dunaway 8

A (24-7) Crawford 10, Maddox 14, Snapp 7, Shoemaker 7, Staggs 3

MC 09 15 09 15- 48

A    10 09 07 15- 41

Mason Co, and Augusta win in region semifinals; meet in finals Tuesday night

The Mason County Royals and the Augusta Panthers were winners in the semifinals of the 10th Region Tournament tonight and will meet in the finals Tuesday night at the Montgomery County High School Arena. 

It's a rematch of the 39th District Tournament championship game. Augusta won that game 63-61.

Mason County 67, Paris 63

The Paris Greyhounds led 27-8 with 7:48 left in the second quarter of the first semifinal game. Mason County switched to a zone and the Royals outscored the Greyhounds 25-16 in the second quarter and 20-8 in the third quarter and held on for a 67-63 win.

Mason County led by as many as nine points in the fourth quarter and was up 64-58 with one minute to play. Paris closed to within two at 65-63 and had a chance to play for the last shot, but a held ball in the lane gave the ball to Mason County with four seconds left. 

Antwavon "Pig" Williams hit two free throws with 1.9 seconds on the clock to seal the win. Williams had a game-high 25 points including his 1,000th career point. Isaiah Garrison scored 21 points. 

Eric Johnson led Paris in scoring with 17 points. Jekobi Wells had a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

MC (22-10) A. Williams 25, Garrison 21, Lofton 3, Sweeney 6, Williams 8, Dunaway 2, Perkins 2

P (24-6) Ashford 6, Clark 3, Johnson 17, Garrard 7, Wells 14, Cunningham 3, J. Davis 4, R. Davis 9

MC 08 25 20 14- 67

P     24 16 08 15- 63

Augusta 63, Montgomery Co. 49

Augusta shot 60% percent from the field in a 63-49 victory over the Montgomery County Indians in the lower bracket semifinal game.

Augusta spread the floor and drove to the basket for numerous layups. After leading by six at halftime, the Panthers scored the first six points of the third quarter. 

Augusta led by eight at the end of the third quarter, then, opened the fourth quarter on an 11-3 run to lead 53-37 with three minutes to play. Montgomery County tried a full court press, but the Panthers broke it for several easy baskets.

Montgomery County would get no closer than eight points. 

Augusta has won 11 straight games.

Connor Maddox led Augusta with a game-high 25 points.Jared Shoemaker tossed in 13.

Casewell Fuller led Montgomery County in scoring with 17 points. Jerryd Jones added 13.

A (24-6) Crawford 7, Maddox 25, Pugh 6, Snapp 8, Shoemaker 13, Staggs 4

MC (21-12) Fuller 17, Walker 7, Combs 7, Jones 13, Parsley 3, Barbour 2

A    15 16 11 21- 63

MC 12 14 08 15- 49

Pig Williams buzzer-beating 3-pointer gives Mason Co a 72-70 win over Campbell County

Antwavon "Pig" Williams buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave the Mason County Royals a 72-70 win over the Campbell County Camels tonight in the opening game of the 10th Region Tournament at the Montgomery County High School Arena.

Mason County trailed by 12 points early in the second quarter, but rallied to lead 64-58 with 3:21 left in the game.

Campbell County regained the lead with an 8-0 run. Conner Sweeney made a reverse layup to tie he game at 66-66. Matt Wilson scored to put the Camels back in front. Darren Williams hit a corner 3 to give the Royals a 69-68 lead with 17 seconds left. Trent McGovney hit a jumper from the free throw to regain the lead for the Camels with seven seconds left. Mason County called a timeout with 6.7 seconds to go. Leevi Dunaway drove into front court, passed the ball to Pig Williams who took one dribble before draining the deep 3-pointer for the win.

There were seven ties and 11 changes in the game. Nine of the lead changes were in the fourth quarter.

Pig Williams led Mason County is scoring with 25 points. Isaiah Garrison followed with 15. Conner Sweeney scored 13 and Darren Williams added 12.

Wilson had a double-double with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Cole Hegyi scored 19 points for the Camels before fouling out with 3:21 to play. Tanner Clos added 13 points.

The win is Mason County's first in the 10th Region Tournament since 2012. Campbell County was the two-time defending champion of the region.

Mason County will play the Paris Greyhounds in the semifinals Monday night. Paris defeated Harrison County 75-60 tonight.

MC (21-10) A. Williams 25, Garrison 15, Lofton 4, Sweeney 13, D. Williams 12, Dunaway 3

CC (19-13) McGovney 4, Bertsch 7, Wilson 27, Hegyi 19, Clos 13

MC 17 16 16 23- 72

CC 25 14 15 16-  70

Augusta rallies to beat Mason County on Tanner Pugh's buzzer beater

Tanner Pugh picked up a loose ball and hit a buzzer beater to give the Augusta Panthers a 63-61 win over the Mason County Royals in the championship game of the 39th District Tournament tonight at Bracken County.

Mason County was in control for three and a half quarters. The Royals had a 14-point lead in the second quarter and were up 57-44 with 4:38 to play and 59-50 with 3:50 left in the game.

Conner Maddox scored five straight points on a fast break layup and a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to four points. 

Conner Sweeney's layup made it 61-55 with 1:21 to play. 

After two missed 3-point shots and two offensive rebounds by the Panthers, Maddox hit a 3-pointer with one minute to play.

Mason County turned the ball over and Owens Crawford tied the game with a trey from the right wing with 40 seconds to go.

The Royals were playing for the last shot when they committed another turnover with 16 seconds left. 

It was Augusta's turn to go for the final shot. Jaylen Lofton tipped the ball away from Crawford, but the ball went to Pugh who swished the game-winning basket from just inside the three-point arc on the left wing.

It's Augusta's third district championship in four years. The Panthers have won nine straight games.

Antwavon "Pig" Williams and  Isaiah Garrison scored 20 points apiece for Mason County.

Maddox scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter. Camryn Snapp kept Augusta in the game by scoring nine of his 19 points in the third quarter.

A (22-6) Crawford 9, Maddox 20, Pugh 5, Snapp 19, Shoemaker 8, Staggs 2

MC (20-10) A. Williams 20, Garrison 20, Lofton 2, Sweeney 4, D. Williams 2, Dunaway 6, Henry 3, Perkins 4

A     13 13 15 22- 63

MC 17 17 17 10- 61

Royals rally for a win over Bracken County

The Mason County Royals rallied from a 12-point second quarter deficit to beat the Bracken County Polar Bears 49-43 in the lower bracket semifinal game of the 39th District Tournament Tuesday night at Bracken County.

The Polar Bears led 19-7 with 4:58 remaining in the second quarter. The Royals closed the half on a 16-5 run to cut the deficit to one. Mason County outscored Bracken County 9-4 in the third quarter. 

Antwavon "Pig" Williams led Mason County in scoring with 17 points. Conner Sweeney had 16 points and eight rebounds.

Austin Crawford scored a game-high 21 points for Bracken County.

Mason County and Augusta will meet in the championship game Thursday at 8 p.m.

MC (20-9) A. Williams 17, Garrison 5, Lofton 2, Sweeney 16, D. Williams 7, Henry 2

BC (15-12) Crawford 21, Lippert 13, Jones 4, Engnes 4, Williams 1

MC 05 18 09 17- 49

BC 11 13 04 15-  43

Pendleton County Rallies to Beat Mason County

The Pendleton County Wildcats shot 58 percent from the field in the second half and outscored the Mason County 50-23 for a 77-60 victory tonight at the Fieldhouse.

Mason County led by 14 points in the second quarter and by 10 halftime, but the Wildcats outscored the Royals 24-8 in the third quarter.

Pendleton County freshman Dontaie Allen scored 20 of his game-high 22 points in the second half. He had 11 rebounds.

Mason County, playing without Antwavon "Pig" Williams for the second straight game, was led in scoring by Isaiah Garrison with 14 points. Darren Williams added 11 points.

PC (14-16) Wood 6, Allen 22, Walsh 18, Browning 6, Dennie 13, Daugherty 12

MC (19-9) Garrison 14, Lofton 9, Sweeney 9, D. Williams 11, L. Dunaway 9, Henry 6, Perkins 2

PC  16 11 24 26- 77

MC 20 17 08 15- 60

Royals Use Huge 2nd Half to Defeat Fleming Co. on Senior Night

The Mason County Royals used a big second half to defeat the Fleming County Panthers 85-53 on Senior Night at the Fieldhouse tonight.

The Royals led by nine points early in the second quarter, but trailed 40-38 in the third quarter. Mason County ended the third quarter on a 23-3 run and outscored Fleming County 57-26 in the second half.

Darren Williams had a double-double with a career-high 21 points and 12 rebounds. He scored 11 points in the third quarter. Jaylen Lofton scored 15 points and Conner Sweeney added 14 points.

Senior point guard Antwavon "Pig" Williams served the first game of a two-game suspension after being ejected with two technical fouls in Tuesday night's loss to Bishop Brossart.

Mason County will close out the regular season Friday night at home against the Pendleton County Wildcats.

MC (19-8) Garrison 6, Lofton 15, Sweeney 14, D. Williams 21, L. Dunaway 8, Henry 9, Perkins 4, C. Dunaway 3, Smith 3, Johnson 2 

FC (5-22) Hall 7, Glasscock 10, Waller 15, Hamm 15, Alexander 6

MC 21 07 33 24- 85

FC  14 13 16 10- 53

Royals Winning Streak Snapped by Loss to Bishop Brossart

The Mason County Royals' six-game winning streak was snapped by a 72-56 road loss to the Bishop Brossart Mustangs tonight. Mason County point guard Antwavon "Pig" Williams was ejected from the game after picking up his second technical foul.

Bishop Brossart averages 53 points a game. The Mustangs scored 50 in the second half tonight.

There were 12 ties and two lead changes in the first half. Mason County was up 23-22 early in the third quarter, but Bishop Brossart took control of the game with an 18-2 run.

Bishop Brossart only had 15 field goals, but made 38-of-44 free throws including 32-of-36 in the second half. Mason County shot 17-of-55 from the field (30.9%) and 20-of-24 from the free-throw line.

The Mustangs were led by senior center Jackson Crawford with 31 points. He was 8-of-16 from the field and 14-of-17 from the free throw line.

Isaiah Garrison led Mason County in scoring with 18 points. Conner Sweeney added 14 points.
Williams was held to two points. He picked up his first technical foul early in the third quarter and received his second technical after fouling out with 1:04 to play. Williams will have two sit out the final two games of the regular season.


BB (19-7) Schultz 13, Ridder 5, Zai 8, Crawford 31, Hamberg 2, Hickman 13,
MC (18-8) A. Williams 2, Garrison 18, Lofton 4, Sweeney 14, D. Williams 6, L. Dunaway 4, Henry 6, C. Dunaway 2

BB 11 11 21 29-72
MC 12 09 08 27-56

Pig Williams Scores 36 Points in Royals' 79-70 OT Win over Montgomery County

Antwavon "Pig" Williams scored a career-high 36 points to lead the Mason County Royals to a 79-70 win in overtime tonight at the Fieldhouse.

There were eight ties and eight lead changes in the game.

Mason County forward Darren Williams tied the game at 65-65 with a corner 3-pointer with 1:40 left in regulation. He gave the Royals a 67-65 lead with a shot in the lane with 4.4 seconds remaining. Montgomery County center Shelby Combs sent the game into overtime with a layup on an inbounds play just before the buzzer.

Mason County jumped out to a 73-68 lead in the extra period. After a putback by Montgomery County forward Jerryd Jones, the Royals made six-of-six free throws to seal the victory.

Pig Williams scored 20 of his 36 points in the first half including 16 in the second quarter. He scored six points in overtime. For the game he was 12-of-26 from the field including 5-of-9 on 3-point shots. He made all seven of his free throws.

Conner Sweeney scored 15 points and had nine rebounds. Darren Williams had 13 points and eight rebounds. Isaiah Garrison added 11 points.

Art Walker hit seven 3-pointers and scored 25 points for Montgomery County, but was scoreless after the third quarter.

Mason County had only one turnover.

Mason Co. (17-7) A. Williams 36, Garrison 11, Sweeney 15, D. Williams 13, L. Dunaway 4
Montgomery Co. (16-10) Fuller 13, Walker 25, Combs 8, Jones 12, Parsley 11, Canada 1

Mason Co.           16 22 12 17 12- 79
Montgomery Co. 19 16 17 15 03-70


(Updated to include that Pig Williams scored 16 points in the second quarter, and that Mason County had only one turnover.)

Sweeney Scores 32 Points, Royals Rally for a 68-62 over Clark County

Conner Sweeney scored a career-high 32 points and the Mason County Royals rallied from a nine-point second quarter deficit to beat the Clark County Cardinals 68-62 tonight in Winchester.

Sweeney scored 28 points in the second half including 16 in the third quarter. After Clark County hit a 3-pointer to cut Mason County's lead to two points with 42 seconds left, Sweeney sealed the win by making four-of-four free throws.

There were five lead changes and 10 ties in the game. Antwavon "Pig" Williams scored 15 points for the Royals who ran their winning streak to four games.

MC (16-7) A. Williams 15, Garrison 3, Lofton 5, Sweeney 32, D. Williams 9, Dunaway 2, Henry 2

CC (13-10) Anderson 14, Menchen 6, Cornelius 19, Jenkins 4, Cooper 13, Philpot 4, Graham 2

MC 13 11 20 24-68

CC  11 19 15 17-62

Royals Top Vikings 70-62 in OT

The Mason County Royals outscored the Rowan County Vikings 15-7 in overtime and scored  the final eight points for a 70-62 victory in Morehead tonight.

Mason County led by 11 points early in the fourth quarter. Rowan County senior point guard Larry Whelen hit a three-pointer with nine seconds to play to cut the deficit to one. After Antwavon "Pig" Williams hit two free throws with six seconds left,  Whelen tied the game at 55-55 with a last-second three-pointer.

Whelen opened the extra period with another three-pointer. Darren Williams hit a driving layup and Isaiah Garrison made two free throws to give the Royals a 59-58 lead. Whelen hit two free throws to put the Vikings back in front. Leevi Dunaway scored on a putback, was fouled and made the free throw for a 62-60 Mason County lead- the 12th lead change in the game. Michael Antrobus sank two free throws to tie the game for the 10th and final time. Conner Sweeney drained a three-pointer to give the Royals the lead for good.

"We could have folded, I mean that kid hit a big-time shot," Mason County coach Buddy Biggs said. "And I made a mistake there, we should have fouled, next time we will. Kids wanted to (foul), I said 'no let's just guard 'em, switch everything out.' And didn't work; Whelen stepped up, buried a shot. You know we could have folded right then and there, but they picked me. And man I thought we played a great overtime."

"Pig" Williams scored a game-high 23 points. Dunaway scored a career-high 15 points. Darren Williams followed with 13 points and Isaiah Garrison added 12 points.

Whelen led Rowan County with 19 points and Antrobus added 17.

MC (15-7) A. Williams 21, Garrison 12, Sweeney 7, D. Williams 13, L. Dunaway 15, Henry 2

RC (11-8) Whelen 19, Antrobus 17, Eldridge 11, Thomas 5, Roberts 4, Chapman 1, Woods 5

MC 09 14 21 11 15-70

RC 13 10 12 20 07- 62

Royals Pull Away in 4th Quarter for a 67-54 Win Over Boyd County

The Mason County Royals outscored the Boyd County Lions 22-15 in the fourth quarter for a 67-54 victory tonight at the Fieldhouse.

Boyd County shot just 25.8 percent from the field for the game- 9 of 33 in the first half and 8 of 33 in the second half.

Antwavon "Pig" Williams scored 10 of his game-high 23 points in the fourth quarter. Darren Williams hit three-pointers and scored 15 points. Conner Sweeney added 10 points.

MC (14-7) A. Williams 23, Garrison 4, Sweeney 10, D. Williams 15, Fox 9, Henry 6

BC (10-10) Anderson 13, Evans 6, Smith 2, Mullen 2, Kinser 21, Robinson 10

MC 14 16 15 22- 67

BC  11 14 14 15- 54

Royals Use 13-0 Run to Rally Past Paris 60-56

After trailing by seven points with 3:21 to play, Mason County went on a 13-0 run and beat the Paris Greyhounds 60-56 tonight in Paris. It is Mason County's 19 straight win over Paris.

The Greyhounds, playing without leading scorer Koebe Garrard, led by as many as 10 points in the third quarter.

Mason County senior Antwavon "Pig" Williams hit a three-pointer at the end of the third quarter to bring the Royals to within three points at 45-42.

The Greyhounds pushed the lead back to seven at 54-47, but would not score again until only nine seconds were left in the game.

Williams started the comeback with a three-pointer, followed by a three-pointer by Darrren Williams.

Conner Sweeney's run-out dunk gave the Royals their first lead at 55-54 with 1:41 to go. 

Sweeney scored  inside for a three-point lead.

Isaiah Garrison hit the front end of the one-and-one. He missed the bonus, but "Pig" Williams got the rebound and scored to make it 60-54 with 16 seconds left.

Paris guard James Clark scored on a layup for the final basket of the game.

Isaiah Garrison led Mason County in scoring with 20 points. "Pig" Williams followed with 16 and Sweeney added 12. 

MC (13-7) A. Williams 16, Garrison 20, Sweeney 12, D. Williams 8, L. Dunaway 4

P (13-4) Ashford 4, Clark 12, Johnson 17, Wells 18, W. Dumphord 3, J. Davis 2

MC 14 15 13 18- 60

P     18 17 10 11- 56

Red Hot Greenup Co. Beats Mason Co. 85-77

The Greenup County Musketeers shot 55.6 percent from three-point range and defeated the Mason County Royals 85-77 Tuesday night at Greenup County.

The Musketeers jumped out to a 10-0 lead. The Royals rallied to take a 24-21 lead in the second quarter. Greenup County ended the first half with another 10-0 run to lead 39-26. Mason County rallied to within a point at the end of the third quarter and scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to lead 61-56. The Musketeers answered with 16 straight points as part of a 22-2 run.

Greenup County sophomore Gage Hughes scored a game-high 29 points and scored his 1,000th career point.

Conner Sweeney scored a career-high 26 points for Mason County. Antwavon "Pig Williams followed with 21 and Isaiah Garrison added 14.

GC (10-8) Hughes 29, Grooms 14, Burchett 6, Hill 4, Hubbert 18, Wireman 14

MC (12-7) Williams 21, Garrison 14, Lofton 1, Sweeney 26, D. Williams 7, Henry 8

GC  19 20 17 29- 85

MC 12 14 29 22- 77

Free Throw Shooting the Difference in Royals' 78-74 Loss to Lexington Catholic

Lexington Catholic made 29-of-37 free throws while Mason County hit just 12-of-25 foul shots and the Knights beat the Royals 78-74 tonight at Lexington Catholic.

Mason County had an 11-point lead in the closing seconds of the third quarter, but Lexington Catholic went on a 15-3 run to take the lead for good. It was the seventh lead change of the game.

Lexington Catholic junior Luke Johnson made 9-of-10 free throws and scored a game-high 31 points. Zan Payne hit 12-of-15 free throws and added 22 points for the Knights. Payne grabbed 14 rebounds.

Mason County was led in scoring by Antwavon "Pig" Williams and Conner Sweeney with 18 points apiece. Isaiah Garrison added 16 points. Sweeney had 11 rebounds.

LC (9-8) Morris 4, Ogbugu 4, Johnson 31, Payne 22, Whitman 4, Hardin 2, Scott 3, Sparkman 8

MC (12-6) A. Williams 18, Garrison 18, Lofton 2, Sweeney 18, D. Williams 7, L. Dunaway 9, Fox 4

LC  18 12 16 32- 78

MC 17 18 20 19- 74

Royals' "D" Clamps Down Ashland in 60-42

Mason County used what coach Buddy Biggs said was "maybe our best defensive effort of the season" to beat the Ashland Tomcats 60-42 tonight at the Fieldhouse.

The Royals held Ashland to 12 points in the first half on 21.1 percent shooting. Ashland scored the first four points of the third quarter, then, Mason County reeled off 14 straight points to lead 44-16.
The Royals biggest lead was 32 points at 59-37 in the fourth quarter.

Mason County hit 10-of-23 from three-point range (43.5 percent) and 41.2 percent overall.

Isaiah Garrison made 4-of-6 three-point shots and scored a game-high 17 points. Antwavon "Pig" Williams followed with 16 points. Conner Sweeney had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

MC (12-5) A. Williams 16, Garrison 17, Lofton 1, Sweeney 11, D. Williams 6, L. Dunaway 7, Fox 2
A (9-4) Roberts 2, Chr. Villars 16, Bradley 7, Copley 7, Knipp 2, Khounlavong 4, Lucas 4

MC 18 12 20 10- 60
A     08 04 10 20- 42

Royals Lose to Holmes 65-57 in Covington

Last night Mason County used a big second half to pull away from Boone County. Tonight the Royals were outscored 30-19 in the second half and lost to the Holmes Bulldogs 65-57 in Covington.

Mason County had a 10-point lead with 2:22 left in the second quarter, but Holmes went on an 11-0 run to regain the lead. Antwavon "Pig" Williams banked in a long three-pointer just before the second quarter buzzer to give the Royals a 38-35 lead. There were five ties and 12 lead changes in the first half.

Holmes opened the third quarter with a 6-0 run to take the lead for good. Mason County had a chance to retake the lead in the closing seconds of the third quarter, but turned the ball over on a fast break and Holmes senior Brennon Englemon hit a half-court shot at the buzzer to give the Bulldogs a four-point lead. Holmes outscored Mason County 15-9 in the fourth quarter.

Antwavon "Pig" Williams scored a game-high 15 points. Isaiah Garrison followed with 14 points and Conner Sweeney added 11 points.

H (8-6) McClendon 14, Daniels 4, Arnold 11, Greene 2, Moore 13, Englemon 9, Miller 3, Commodore 8
MC (11-5) A. Williams 15, Garrison 14, Lofton 5, Sweeney 11, D. Williams 2, L. Dunaway 2, Fox 8

H     13 22 15 15-65
MC 16 22 08 09-57

(Edited to correct the number of lead changes in the first half)

Royals Use Big 2nd Half to Beat Boone Co. 68-45

The Mason County Royals outscored the Boone County Rebels 49 to 20 in the second half for a 68-45 victory tonight at the Fieldhouse.

Both teams shot 33.3 percent in the first half and Boone County led 25-19 at intermission. Mason County was able to speed up the tempo and outscored Boone County 23-10 in the third quarter and 26-10 in the fourth quarter.

Antwavon "Pig" Williams scored 14 of his game-high 23 points in the third quarter, Isaiah Garrison scored 11 points. Conner Sweeney had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Darren Williams added 10 points.

Mason County is right back in action Saturday at Covington Holmes. The junior varsity  game begins at 4:30 followed by the varsity game at 6.

MC (11-4) A. Williams 23, Garrison 11, Lofton 7, Sweeney 10, D. Williams 10, Henry 5, Perkins 2

BC (2-11) Shidler 5, Haynes 2, Nyman 13, Datro 8, Robbins 6, Schild 1, Bowman 1, Purnell 8, Lay 1