Summer basketball video: Mason County’s Jeremiah Jones with the base line drive and layup

Royals rally for 71-70 victory over Bracken County in district championship game

The Mason County pulled out a 71-70 victory over the Bracken County Polar Bears in the championship game of the 39th District Tournament tonight in The Fieldhouse.

Braden May hit the game-winning layup with nine seconds to play.

Mason County rallied from a nine-point second quarter deficit to lead 62-56 with 6:21 left in the game, but Bracken County answered with an 11-2 run to lead 67-64 with 2:05 to go.

May hit a game-tying three-pointer with 1:42 to play.

The Polar Bears regained the lead at 68-67 and had a chance to put the game away when Jaylen Lofton fouled out and was called for technical foul with 35 seconds to play. But Bracken County made just 2 of the 4 free throws and May came up with steal after the Polar Bears inbounded the ball. Xylon Frey missed a shot, but made the putback to pull the Royals to within a point.

Bracken County missed two more free throws setting up May's game-winning basket.

The Polar Bears missed two shots in the lane in the closing seconds.

It's Mason County's 26th consecutive victory Bracken County.

Lofton led Mason County in scoring with 20 points. May hit three three-pointers and scored 13 points. Frey had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds. Jeremiah Jones added 11 points.

Bracken County freshman Kason Hinson scored 25 points. Travis Tucker had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Collin Jefferson added 10 points.

MC (14-15) Lofton 20, May 13, Jones 11, Brammer 7, Frey 13, Perry 5, K. Jones 2

BC (14-17) Cummins 8, Hinson 25, Fisher 7, Tucker 14, N, Jefferson 4, C. Jefferson 10, Gilvin 2

MC 17 16 20 18- 71
BC 20 18 15 17- 70

Royals hold off Augusta 69-60 in district semis

The Mason County Royals held off upset-minded Augusta for a 69-60 win in the semifinals of 39th District Tournament tonight at The Fieldhouse.

The Royals routed the Panthers 70-29 in December, but they had their hands full tonight.

Mason County built a 14-point lead in the second quarter only to see Augusta close to within a point at 39-38 in the third quarter.

The Royals answered with a 12-0 run, but Augusta got to within four points three times in the fourth quarter. The last time was at 55-51 with 4:02 to play. Mason County pushed the lead out to 62-53 with 1:39 remaining. The Panthers would get no closer than six points.

Mason County scored 27 points off Augusta's 27 turnovers.

The Royals were 0-of-15 from beyond the arc. It's the first game this season Mason County has not made a three-pointer.

Jaylen Lofton led Mason County in scoring with 18 points. Jeremiah Jones followed with 11 points and Carson Brammer added 10 points.

Augusta seventh grader Blake Reed poured in 26 points including 12 in the fourth quarter. Reed hit 16-of-19 free throws including 10-of-11 in the fourth quarter. He had seven assists and five rebounds. Stephen Cordle had a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds.

MC (13-15) Lofton 18, May 5, Jones 11, Brammer 10, Frey 8,
Swolsky 9, Perry 3, Butler 6

A (10-18) Reed 26, White 8, Philpot 4, Appelman 6, Cordle 12, Mains 2, McClanahan 2

MC 16 18 17 18- 69
A     12 12 18 18- 60

(Updated 2/19/2019 with additional statistics.)

Mason County swept by Harrison County in a boys and girls DH

The Mason County Royals and Lady Royals were swept by Harrison County in a boys and girls doubleheader tonight in Cynthiana.

The Royals rallied from a 16-point third quarter deficit to tie the game with a minute to play, but lost to the Thorobreds, 75-70.
Harrison County's final eight points were on free throws.

The Lady Royals trailed the Fillies 22-8 at the end of the first quarter of a 72-49 loss.

Emma Taylor and Sam Schumacher led the Lady Royals in scoring with 13 points apiece.

The Royals were led in scoring by Jeremiah Jones with a career-high 23 points. Carson Brammer scored 12 points. Jake Swolsky tossed in 11 points and Xylon Frey added 10 points.

Tuesday night is Senior Night at Mason County. The Lady Royals play the Bourbon County Lady Colonels, followed by the Royals against the Bishop Brossart Mustangs.

Boys

HC (8-18) Turley 19, Free 18, Price 8, Linville 9, Thompson 12,
Cummins 2, Carpenter 2, Sledd 5

MC (11-14) Lofton 5, Jones 23, Brammer 12, Frey 10, Swolsky 11, Butler 3

HC  17 17 20 21- 75
MC 15 16 14 25- 70

Girls

HC (21-5) Hines 1, Ecklr 9, Halleron 3, Kellione 29, Morris 12, Clements 4, Kenney 14

MC (14-11) Brooks 7, Henry 4, Taylor 13, Harrison 2, Thomas 2, Payne 4, White 3, Schumacher 13, Gibbs 1

HC  22 12 13 25- 72
MC 08 11 17 13- 49

Mason County sweeps DH vs Fleming County

The Mason County Lady Royals and Royals both posted lopsided wins over Fleming County in a doubleheader at Fleming County tonight.

The Lady Royals had a 16-point lead at the half and led by as many as 24 points in the fourth quarter on their way to a 65-44 victory over the Lady Panthers.

The Royals made 11-of-16 shots in the third quarter of a 74-64 win over the Panthers. It's Mason County's 20th straight victory over Fleming County.

The Royals shot 45.9 percent for the game, breaking a streak of six straight games under 40 percent.

Jaylen Lofton and Xylon Frey both had double-doubles. Lofton scored a game-high 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Frey had 16 points and 12 rebounds. Jeremiah Jones tossed in 15 points and Carson Brammer added 10 points.

The Lady Royals were led in scoring by Victoria Brooks and Emma Taylor with 16 points apiece. Rachel Payne added 11 points.

Mason County plays Harrison County in a boys and girls doubleheader in Cynthiana Saturday. The boys' game is first at 5 p.m.

Girls

MC (14-10) Brooks 12, Henry 7, Littleton 1, Taylor 2, Glover 3, Harrison 1, Adkins 2, Thomas 3, Payne 11, White 7, Svhumacher 8

FC (4-20) Shields 3, Argo 13, Price 2, Jackson 6, Morris 7, Sparks 5, Nelson 8

MC  12 23 11 19- 65

FC   08 11 09 16- 44

Boys

MC (11-13) Lofton 20, Jones 15, Brammer 10, Frey 16, Swolsky 9, Perry 2, Nutler 2

FC (11-16) Flannery 19, Christiansen 5, McKee 11, Saunders 12, Argo 5, Taylor 2

MC 13 08 24 29- 74

FC   11 02 10 31- 54

Royals snap 3-game losing streak with a 60-57 win over Ashland

The Mason County Royals snapped a three-game losing streak with a 60-57 road win over the Ashland Tomcats tonight.

The Royals led for most of the second and third quarters, but trailed 55-52 late in the game.

With Mason County trailing 57-56, Carson Brammer was fouled on a three-point shot with 24 seconds left. He missed the first free throw, made the second and missed the third, but he ran down the rebound in the left corner.

Jaylen Lofton made one-of-two free throws to give the Royals a 58-57 lead with 13 seconds remaining.

Ashland missed a shot, Lofton got the rebound and was fouled with 1.2 seconds left. He sank both free throws and Ashland's inbounds pass was intercepted  by A.P. Perry at midcourt.

There were two ties and four lead changes in the fourth quarter.

The Royals shot just 36.8 percent field and were 2-of-15 from beyond the arc, but they scored 16 points off the Tomcats' 16 turnovers and had 16 second chance points thanks to a 21-14 advantage on offensive rebounds.

Jeremiah Jones scored a game-high 19 points for Mason County.

Xylon Frey followed with 17 points and Lofton added 10 points.

The Royals play the Highland Bluebirds in Ft. Thomas Tuesday night.

MC (10-12) Lofton 10, J. Jones 19, Brammer 8, Frey 17, Swolsky 2, K. Jones 4

A (10-11) Robinson 10, Mays 3, Sellers 15, Bryant 14, Hudson 15

MC 14 18 12 16- 60

A     17 08 17 15- 57

Perry's buzzer-beater gives Mason County a 71-69 win over Ripley

A.P. Perry banked in a shot at the buzzer to give the Mason County Royals a 71-69 victory over the Ripley Blue Jays in a wild game at Ripley tonight.

Mason County trailed 21-10 early in the second quarter and 26-16 later in the quarter before ending the half on a 16-0 run.

The Royals were up 51-37 with 1:10 left in the third quarter, but the Blue Jays roared back and regained the lead at 64-62 with 1:50 remaining in the game. 

Ripley led 65-62 with 1:38 left and 67-64 with 52 seconds to play.

Mason County scored five straight points to go back in front, 69-67. 

Nigel Royal made two free throws to tie the game with 19 seconds remaining.

Jaylen Lofton made a layup with three seconds to play, but the basket was waved off by a charging call.

After a Ripley timeout, Braden May intercepted the inbounds pass and got the ball to Perry who banked in the game-winning basket from the left wing.

Mason County is 13-0 all time vs. Ripley.

The win evened Mason County's record at 9-9. The loss snapped Ripley's nine-game winning streak. It's the Blue Jay's first home loss of the season.

Lofton led the Royals in scoring with 25 points. Jeremiah Jones added 15 points.

Ripley senior Jaki Royal hit six-of-seven three-pointers and scored 36 points including 15 in the fourth quarter. Landon Dearing tossed in 10 points.

Mason County plays Pendleton County in Falmouth at 6 p.m.

MC (9-9) Lofton 25, May 9, Jones 15, Brammer 3, Frey 6, Swolsky 6, Perry 7

R (11-3) J. Royal 36, Dearing 10, N. Royal 8, Rigdon 5, Fyffe 6, Germann 2, Whaley 2

MC 10 22 21 16- 71
R     15 11 16 27- 69

Royals lose to Scott in Section 3 semis of Kentucky 2A Championships

Last month the Mason County Royals suffered a 32-point loss to the Scott Eagles in Taylor Mill. Tonight the Royals stayed with the Eagles for three quarters, but a 19-4 fourth quarter run by Scott doomed Mason County in a 65-55 loss in the Section 3 semifinals of the Kentucky 2A Championships at The Fieldhouse.

There was one tie and six lead changes, but Scott's big run gave the Eagles a 61-44 lead with 2:50 left in the game.

Mason County outrebounded Scott 39-30, but shot 35.2 percent from the field and had 19 turnovers.

Jaylen Lofton led the Royals in scoring with 15 points. Jeremiah Jones followed with 12 points. Xylon Frey had a double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds. Carson Brammer added 10 points.

The Royals play at Greenup County Tuesday night.

S (9-5) Ohmer 11, Simpson 10, Meister 15, Hunter 14, Joyce 9,
Coleman 2, Allen 2, Smith 2

MC (7-9) Lofton 15, May 7, Jones 12, Frey 11, Brammer 10

S     12 13 15 25- 65
MC 13 10 14 18- 55

Campbell County too strong for Mason County

Mason County stayed with Campbell County for a quarter, but the Royals were outscored 22-4 in the second quarter and 20-6 in the third quarter of a 77-43 loss to the Camels tonight at Campbell County.

The Camels pulled away after leading 20-19 at the end of the first quarter.

The final nine minutes of the game were played with a running clock after Campbell County led 62-27.

The Camels shot 60.7 percent from the field in the first half and 55.2% for the game.

Mason County shot 32.7 percent from the field including 25.9 percent in the second half.

The Camels outrebounded the Royals 38-24.

Mason County had a season-low four turnovers.

Reid Jolly made 9-of-10 shots from the field and scored a game-high 19 points for Campbell County. Drew Wilson tossed in 18 points and Tanner Lawrence added 10 points.

Jeremiah Jones led Mason County in scoring with nine points.

The Royals play the Pendleton County Wildcats Monday night in Falmouth in the opening round of the Kentucky 2A Championships Section 3 bracket.

CC (10-3) Wirth 7, Lawrence 10, Wilson 18, Jolly 19, Helton 5, Gross 6, Hegyi 8, Sell 4

MC (6-8) Lofton 8, May 3, Jones 9, Swolsky 7, Frey 7, Brammer 2, Black 3, Butler 2, Highfield 2

CC  20 22 20 15- 77
MC 19 04 06 14- 43

Royals rally and hold on to beat Rockcastle County for 5th place in Gateway Holiday Classic

The Mason County Royals trailed by 19 points in the second quarter and led by 12 in the fourth quarter before hanging on for a 68-65 victory over the Rockcastle County Rockets today in the fifth place game of the Gateway Holiday Classic at Montgomery County.

Mason County had more turnovers (10) than points (8) in the first quarter.

Rockcastle County led 27-8 early in the second quarter, but the Royals only had two second quarter turnovers and were within two points at the half.

Mason County led 47-44 at the end of the third quarter and 58-46 with 4:15 remaining in the game, but the Rockets mounted a rally of their own. The Royals' lead was cut to two at 62-60 and 64-62.
Braden May hit two free throws with 17 seconds to play to push the lead back to four. After Rockcastle County hit a three-pointer to get to within a point, Jaylen Lofton made two free throws with 5.5 seconds remaining. Rockcastle County missed a long three-pointer and Xylon Frey grabbed the rebound to preserve the win.

Mason County ended up with 22 turnovers. The Royals outrebounded the Rockets 38-33 including 26-19 in the second half.

A.P. Perry made three three-pointers and scored a career-high 13 points. Frey also had 13 points. Lofton had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Jeremiah Jones added 10 points.

Frey and Jones were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Mason County travels to Claryville Thursday night to play Campbell County.

MC (6-7) Lofton  12, May 9, Jones 10, Swolsky 2, Frey 13, Brammer 9, Perry 13

RC (3-8) Noel 15, Burdette 5, Stratton 11, Mullins 10, West 11, Todd 6, Chasteen 6, Loudermilk 1

MC 08 24 15 21- 68
RC  24 10 10 21- 65

A 26-point loss to Frankfort moves Royals to consolation bracket of Gateway Holiday Classic

The Mason County Royals' next two games will be in the consolation bracket of the Gateway Holiday Classic at Montgomery County after a 94-68 loss to the Frankfort Panthers in the opening game of the tournament this afternoon.

There were three ties and two lead changes in the first half, and Mason County trailed by just six points, 40-34, at the half, but the Panthers outscored the Royals 32-13 in the third quarter.

Frankfort shot 50 percent from the field and outrebounded Mason County 52-37.

The Royals shot 31.7 percent from the field in the second half.

The start of game was delayed 20 minutes because Frankfort, which was the away team on the bracket, came out in its home white uniforms, and Mason County was wearing its white uniforms. The teams were warming up when the issue was reported to the game officials. The Panthers changed into their road uniforms when they finally arrived.

Jeremiah Jones scored a career-high 21 points for the Royals. Jake Swolsky added a season-high 13 points.

Mason County will play the West Carter Comets Saturday at 2 p,m in the consolation bracket semifinals. West Carter loss to Harrison County 59-54 in today's second game.

F (9-2) Frank 13, Davis 7, Austin 19, Tillman 17, Twombly 9,
Ellis 6, O'Bryan 7, Bush 2, Miklavcic 8, Blythe 5, Hammon 1

MC (4-7) Lofton 5, May 3, J. Jones 21, Swolsky 13, Frey 8, Brammer 7, Black 4, Sweet 2, Perry 2, K. Jones 3

F     22 18 32 22- 94
MC 21 13 13 21- 68

Royals dominate 2nd half in 76-45 victory over East Carter

The Mason County Royals outscored the East Carter Raiders 27-12 in the third quarter and 24-8 in the fourth quarter for a 76-45 victory tonight at The Fieldhouse.

The game was tied 25-25 at the half, but the Royals opened the third quarter with a 21-4 run.

The Royals shot 62.2 percent from the field in the second half.

Mason County scored 30 points off East Carter's 26 turnovers.

Jaylen Lofton and Xylon Frey led Mason County in scoring with 15 points apiece. Braden May followed with 14 points and Jeremiah Jones added 13 points.

The Royals host the Robertson County Black Devils Saturday at 8 p.m. in the US Bank Mike Murphy Classic.

MC (2-4) Lofton 15, May 14, Jones 13, Swolsky 6, Frey 15, Brammer 6, Black 1, Sweet 4, Highfield 2

EC (0-6) Adams 8, Brooks 12, J. Damron 2, D. Damron 8, Pope 4, Tussey 11, Miller 4

MC 16 09 27 24- 76

EC  14 11 12 08- 45

Royals fall to 0-4 with a 73-41 loss to Scott

The Mason County Royals cut down on their turnovers, but shot just 28.8 percent from the field in a 73-41 loss to the Scott Eagles tonight in Taylor Mill.

The Royals had 14 turnovers, half of what they averaged in the first three games, but Scott shot 61.9 percent from the field for the game and outscored Mason County 27-9 in the third quarter after leading 36-21 at the half.

Jaylen Lofton scored a game-high 15 points for Mason County. Jeremiah Jones added 11 points.

Mason County is 0-4 for the first time since the 1987-88 season.

The Royals host the Bracken County Polar Bears Tuesday night.

S (4-1) Ohmer 11, Simpson 11, Mesiter 10, Hunter 9, Joyce 7, Profitt 5, Coleman 5, Allen 6, Buckner 2, Smith 3, Patterson 3, Meyer 1

MC (0-4) Lofton 15, May 2, Jones 11, Swolsky 4, Frey 2, Black 2, Butler 3, Highfield 2

S     11 25 27 10- 73

MC 06 15 09 11- 41

Royals lose to Holmes 39-14

The Mason County Royals suffered their fourth straight loss, falling to the Holmes Bulldogs 39-14 at home tonight in their final district game of the season.

Holmes led 21-0 at the half, 33-0 at the end of the third quarter and 39-0 early in the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs racked up 27 first downs and 464 yards of total offense.

The Royals had four first downs and 180 yards of total offense. Mason County had just one first down and only 33 yards of offense in the first half.

Holmes running back Cortez Blassingame rushed for 141 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries.

Holmes quarterback James Walker completed 10 of 23 passes for 113 yards and one touchdown. Walker also rushed for a touchdown.

Mason County quarterback Carson Brammer threw touchdown passes to Seth Chambers (61 yards) and Jeremiah Jones (71 yards) on the Royals' final two possessions.

Brammer completed 4 of 15 passes for 163 yards and the two touchdowns. He also threw an interception.

Jones had two receptions for 96 yards.

Despite the loss, Mason County coach Jonathan Thomas liked how his team continued to play hard.

"Very proud of their effort and the way they keep playing," Thomas said.

Mason County falls to 2-6 overall and 0-4 in district play. The Royals play at Grant County Friday night.

H 1st Q 2:20 James Walker 3 yard run (kick blocked) H 6, MC 0

H 2nd Q 11:36 Tayquan Calloway 5 yard run (Tayquan Calloway pass from James Walker) H 14, MC 0

H 2nd Q 3:55 Dryus Glover 3 yard run (Damario Foster kick) H 21, MC 0

H 3rd Q 8:18 Tayquan Calloway 9 yard run (pass failed) H 27, MC 0

H 3rd Q 4:22 Damario Foster 30 yard pass from James Walker (pass failed) H 33, MC 0

H 4th Q 9:16 Tayquan Calloway 6 yard run (run failed) H 39, MC 0

MC 4th Q 8:32 Seth Chambers 61 yard pass from Carson Brammer (Brock Gilligan kick) H 39, MC 7

MC 4th Q 00:35 Jeremiah Jones 71 yard pass from Carson Brammer (Brock Gilligan kick) H 39, MC 14

Mason County football weekly awards

Here are the Mason County football award winners based on the Royals' 50-0 loss to the Scott Eagles:

Brian Payne Player of the Game- Jeremiah Jones

Offensive Player of the Game- Jacob Ledford

Special Teams Player of the Game- Ashton Adams

Scout Team Player of the Week- Josh Irwin

Royals end regular season with 3rd straight loss

The Mason County Royals will enter postseason play on a three-game losing streak after closing out the regular season with an 84-66 loss to the Bishop Brossart Mustangs tonight in Alexandria.

There were 11 ties and 17 lead changes through the first two and a half periods, but after a 50-50 tie, Bishop Brossart closed out the third period on a 13-4 run and opened the fourth period with a 16-7 run to lead 79-61 with 4:09 left.

The Mustangs scored 50 points in the second half.

Bishop Brossart shot 58.8 percent from the field in the second half and made numerous layups.

Mason County center Dalton Perkins left the game with an injury in the third quarter and did not return.

"Once Dalton went out, you know, we had no defensive stopper at the goal," Mason County coach Buddy Biggs said.

Bishop Brossart outscored Mason County by 13 points on free throws. The Mustangs were 22-of-27 for 81.5 percent, while the Royals hit just 9-of-20 for 45 percent.

Leevi Dunaway led Mason County in scoring with 14 points despite sitting out the final 6:57 of the second quarter after picking up his third foul.

Carson Brammer tossed in 12 points, Jeremiah Jones followed with 11 points and Malkolm Devine added 10 points.

Mason County will play the Augusta Panthers in the 39th District Tournament Monday night at The Fieldhouse.

BB (15-11) Schumacher 17, Donnelly 9, Duffy 18, Eilerman 12, Hamberg 11, MacDonald 2, Bell 2, Schirmer 13

MC (15-12) Dunaway 14, Perkins 4, Frey 8, Jones 11, Devine 10, Brammer 12, May 7

BB   15 19 29 21- 84 

MC  16 21 17 12- 66

Royals extend win streak over Bracken County to 23 games

The Mason County Royals had a 20-2 first quarter run on their way to an 84-56 victory over the Bracken County Polar Bears tonight at The Fieldhouse. It's the Royals' 23rd straight win over the Polar Bears.

Bracken County scored the first two points of the game, then, Mason County hit four three-pointers while scoring 14 straight points as part of the 20-2 run.

Mason County hit 11 three-pointers, had 18 assists and scored 28 points off Bracken County's 19 turnovers.

Malkolm Devine made five three-pointers and scored a game-high 20 points for the Royals.

Leevi Dunaway followed with 16 points, Jaylen Lofton and Jeremiah Jones each scored 11 points and Xylon Frey tossed in 10 points.

Mason Tucker led the Polar Bears in scoring with 16 points.

Trey Deaton and Tanner Fisher scored 11 points apiece.

Mason County plays the Clark County Cardinals in Winchester Friday night.

Bracken County hosts Pendleton County Friday night.

MC (13-9) Dunaway 16, Lofton 11, Perkins 8, Frey 10, Jones 11, Jackson 3, Devine 20, Brammer 5

BC (3-18) Tanner Fisher 11, Tad Fisher 9, T. Tucker 2, Bishop 4, M. Tucker 16, Deaton 11, Cummins 1, Jefferson 2

MC 22 26 14 22- 84

BC  08 18 13 17- 56

Royals lose to Boyd Co. in OT on last-second layup

Boyd County senior Reese Robinson made a last-second layup to give the Lions a 64-62 win over the Mason County Royals in overtime today at The Fieldhouse.

Leevi Dunaway had tied the game with five seconds left. 

After a timeout, Boyd County broke the Royals' press and fed the ball to Robinson for the game-winner.

There were 11 ties and 11 lead changes in the game.

Mason County trailed by five points at the end of the third quarter, but opened the fourth quarter on an 11-1 run to lead 53-48 with 2:18 to go.

Boyd County rallied with five straight points and was playing for the last shot, but committed a turnover with eight seconds left.

Mason County broke the Lions' press, but threw the ball out of bounds in frontcourt with five-point-five seconds remaining.

Boyd County missed an open three-pointer as the fourth quarter buzzer sounded. 

The Lions led by as many as five points in the extra period

Mason County has lost three straight games.

Boyd County ran its winning streak to eight games.

Dunaway led the Royals in scoring with 20 points.

Jeremiah Jones and Malkolm Devine added 11 points apiece.

Mason County hosts Montgomery County Tuesday night.

BC (16-5) Stewart 12, Smith 8, Robinson 16, Taylor 5, Short 23

MC (11-9) Dunaway 20, Perkins 4, Frey 7, Jones 11, Devine 11, Brammer 9

BC 14 16 17 06- 64

MC 15 16 11 11- 62

Royals hang on for three-point win over Ripley

The Mason County Royals blew two double digits, but rallied from a six-point deficit and survived a three-point barrage by Ripley for a 70-67 victory over the Blue Jays tonight at The Fieldhouse.

Mason County outscored Ripley 18-2 in the second quarter for a 31-17 halftime lead.

The Blue Jays rallied to within five points before the Royals pushed the lead back out to 13 points with an eight-point possession thanks to old fashion three-point play, two technical free throws and a three-pointer.

Ripley answered with a 20-1 run to lead 52-46 with 5:52 left in the game.

After the Blue Jays led 54-48 with just under five minutes to play, the Royals went on a 17-4 run (including an 11-0 spurt) to lead 65-58 with 1:08 remaining.

Ripley hit three-three pointers in a 30-second span to draw to within 68-67 with 17 seconds to go.

Mason County senior Malkolm Devine hit two free throws with 10 seconds left and Ripley missed a three-point shot just before the buzzer.

Ripley did not make a field goal in the second quarter and was 1 for 14 on three-pointers in the first half. The Blue Jays were 8 of 14 beyond the arc in the second half.

Mason County shot 60 percent from the field in the first half and 50 percent for the game.

With junior point guard Jaylen Lofton out, Leevi Dunaway moved to the point and scored a game-high 26 points.

Jeremiah Jones followed with 14 points including 10 in the fourth quarter. He hit back-to-back corner threes to tie the game and give the Royals the lead for good.

Devine tossed in 10 points.

Ripley was led in scoring by Landon Rigdon with 14 points. He made four three-pointers in the 

fourth quarter.

Mason County has won three straight games and four of its last five. The Royals play at Lewis County Saturday afternoon. The junior varsity game begins at 2 p.m., the varsity at 3:30.

MC (11-6) Dunaway 26, Perkins 5, Boyd 3, Steward 7, Frey 5, Jones 14, Devine 10

R (10-3) Royal 13, Dearing 10, King 6, Harney 11, Dunn 8, Ridgon 14, Staggs 2, Fyffe 3

MC 13 18 15 24- 70

R     15 02 24 26- 67

Camels top Royals 77-68

The Campbell County  Camels scored the final six points of the game to seal a 77-68 victory over the Mason County Royals tonight at The Fieldhouse.

There were five ties and nine lead changes in the game.

Campbell County led by eight points in the second quarter.

Mason County was up 56-50 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, but Campbell County went on a  17-4 run to lead 67-60 with just under five minutes to play.

The Royals closed to within 71-68 with 1:19 left, but the Camels hit 6 of 6 free throws in the final minute to record their 13th victory.

With Campbell County's leading scorer on the season- Reid Jolly-  sidelined with an injury and an illness, senior guard Tanner Clos stepped up and scored a game-high 29 points.

Joel Day and Drew Wilson scored 12 points apiece. 

Nate Schafer, who was averaging 1.8 points a game, scored all 11 of his points in the fourth quarter. He hit three three-pointers.

Mason County only played six players. Freshman guard Jeremiah Jones was out sick.

Leevi Dunaway also was under the weather, but he scored a team-high 19 points.

Jayden Steward scored 18 points, Jaylen Lofton had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Dalton Perkins followed with 10 points.

Mason County plays Holmes in Covington Saturday.

CC (13-2) Day 12. Clos 29, Wilson 12, Lawrence 4, Russell 2, Helton 5, Schafer 11, Wirth 2

MC (8-6) Dunaway 19, Lofton 11, Perkins 10, Boyd 6, Steward 18, Frey 4

CC 16 16 16 29- 77

MC 15 15 24 14- 68


(Updated to correct that Tanner Clos is a senior.)