Riley Mastin is the SAA Rookie of the Year

Centre College freshman Riley Mastin, a 2023 graduate of Mason County High School, has been named the Rookie of the Year in the Southern Athletic Association.

Mastin, a 6-6 forward, was also named Second Team All-SAA.

Injuries limited Mastin to just 14 games but he made the most his of time on the court. He led the Colonels in rebounds (9.2 rpg) and field goal percentage (54.9%) and was second on the team in scoring (13.9 ppg).

Mastin recorded six double-doubles. His career-high 33 point game vs. Rhodes were the most scored by a Centre College player this season.

Riley Mastin is SAA Player of the Week

Centre College freshman Riley Mastin is the Southern Athletic Association Player of the Week. 

Mastin, a 2023 graduate of Mason County High School, scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the Colonels' 79-71 loss to Hendrix on Friday night. Then on Sunday, he had another career-high scoring performance with 33 points while pulling down 12 rebounds in Centre's 72-63 victory over Rhodes.

For the season, Mastin is averaging 13.8 points and 9.6 rebounds a game while shooting 55.7 percent from field, 33.3 percent from 3-point range and 85.3 percent from the free throw line.

Centre will be back in action Friday night at home vs. Birmingham-Southern. 

Hamilton drains 10 3-pointers and Royals blowout Nicholas County, Campbell County routs Paris

Braylon Hamilton made a school record 10 3-pointers and scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Mason County Royals to a 107-56 win over the Nicholas County Bluejackets in the opening game of the 10th Region Tournament at The Fieldhouse on Wednesday night. 

The Royals will play the Campbell County Camels in the semifinals Monday at 6 p.m. Campbell County beat Paris 83-50 in the second game.

Hamilton made four 3-pointers in the first quarter, two in the second quarter and four in the third quarter to break the previous school record of nine treys shared by Robert Myrick and Chris Lofton. Hamilton and the other four starters did not play in the fourth quarter.

Riley Mastin had 15 points and nine rebounds. Terrell Henry followed with 13 points.

Wyatt Clark led Nicholas County (11-21) in scoring with 21 points.

Mason County (28-5) led 30-12 at the end of the first quarter and closed the second quarter with a 20-2 run to lead 59-28.

The Royals led 65-30 with 6:24 to play in the third quarter and the rest of the game was played with a running clock.

Mason County shot 63.6% from the field and made 16-of-33 3-point shots for 48.5%.

Mason County            30 29 27 21 — 107

Nicholas County          16 12 12 16 —  56

Mason County — Routt 2, Henry 13, Butler 2, Walton 5, Feldhaus 2, McClanahan 9, Mastin 15, McClain 7, Moran 5, Horch 6, Hamilton 30, Adams 3, Bierley 8

Nicholas County — Morris 6, P. Hatton 2, Koeder 4, Banks 5, Owens 2, J. Hatton 8, Clark 22, Jones 1, Watkins 4, Smith 2

            ___________________________________

Campbell County    20 25 27 11 — 83

Paris                      12 08 12 18 — 50

Campbell County (22-11) — Hill 7, Gross 16, Sorgenfrel 3, Jackson 9, Johnson 2, Crowley 2, Smith 11, Hamilton 13, Weinel 11, Combs 9

Paris (17-14) — Alcorn 8, Ashford 21, Ransom 11, Bishop 4, Garr 2, Webb 2, Patterson 3, Blackwell 1

(Updated to correct that Hamilton broke the school record for 3-pointers in a game. An earlier version stated he had tied the record.)

Royals defeat Augusta 87-46 for district championship

The Mason County Royals led wire-to-wire in an 87-46 win over the Augusta Panthers in the championship game of the 39th District Tournament at The Fieldhouse on Thursday night.

It is Mason County's seventh consecutive district championship.

The loss snapped Augusta's seven-game winning streak.

The Royals jumped out to an 8-0 lead and were up 20-6 at the end of the first quarter and 44-19 at halftime.

Mason County led 65-30 with 2:46 remaining in the third quarter and the rest of the game was played with a running clock.

The largest lead was 44 points at 87-43.

Terrell Henry had 19 points and 10 rebounds for the Royals (27-5). Braylon Hamilton hit four 3-pointers and scored 15 points. Riley Mastin had 14 points and six rebounds.

LJ Conner led Augusta (18-13) in scoring with 17 points. Keeton Bach followed with 12 points and Kylan Hinson had 10 points and nine rebounds.

Both teams move on to the 10th Region Tournament.

Mason County        20 24 26 17 — 87

Augusta                  06 13 19 08 — 46               

Mason County — Routt 5, Henry 19, Butler 2, Walton 4, Feldhaus 2, McClanahan 5, Mastin 14, McClain 2, Owens 8, Hamilton 15, Gibbs 2, Bierley 9

Augusta — LJ Conner 17, C. Conner 1, Hinson 10, Kelsch 3, Bach 12, Appleman 3

Royals edge Polar Bears 43-38

Terrell Henry scored eight of his 14 points in the fourth quarter and the Mason County Royals beat the Bracken County Polar Bears 43-38 in the semifinals of the 39th District Tournament at The Fieldhouse on Monday night. Mason County extended its winning streak against Bracken County to 33 games.

There were six ties and seven lead changes through the first three quarters.

Two layups by Henry to start the fourth quarter gave the Royals a 35-31 lead.

Blake Reed drained a 3-pointer to cut the Royals' lead to one.

Bracken County had a chance to regain the lead, but KG Walton came up with a steal and scored on a layup.

A basket by Devante Jefferson cut Mason County's lead to one again, but that would be the Polar Bear's last field goal.

Riley Mastin made 1-of-2 free throws to make the score 38-36 with 1:50 to play.

Henry made another layup to push the lead to four points with 56 seconds remaining. 

Henry made two free throws to boost the lead to 42-36 with only 16 seconds left.

Reed was fouled on a 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining. He made 2-of-3 free throws.

KG Walton hit 1-of-2 free throws with seven seconds left.

Mastin scored 13 of his 14 points in the first half. 

Philip Bierley had a game-high seven rebounds for the Royals.

Reed finished with 18 points, 11 below his season average. He was guarded by either Henry or Walton for most of the game.

Mason County (26-5) moves on to the championship game on Thursday night to play the winner of Tuesday night's game between Augusta and St. Patrick.

Bracken County ends the season with a 16-14 record.

Mason County        10 12 09 12 — 43

Bracken County      08 13 10 07 — 38

Mason County — Henry 14, Walton 5, McClanahan 3, Mastin 14, Hamilton 3, Bierley 4

Bracken County — Commodore 7, C. Reed 6, Jefferson 5, B. Reed 18, Norton 2

Royals lose to Grant County 72-66

The Mason County Royals closed out the regular season with a 72-66 loss to the Grant County Braves in Dry Ridge on Thursday night.

The Royals led 17-14 at the end of the first quarter, but were outscored 19-11 in the second quarter and 19-14 in the third quarter.

Grant County led by as many as 15 points in the fourth quarter.

Terrell Henry had 24 points and seven rebounds and Riley Mastin had 14 points and seven rebounds before fouling out early in the fourth quarter.

Mason County (25-5) will play the Bracken County Polar Bears in the semifinals of the 39th District Tournament at The Fieldhouse on Monday night.

Grant County    14 19 19 20 — 72

Mason County   17 11 14 24 — 66

Grant County — Bosse 2, Scalf 9, Utter 7, Fox 6, Hammonds 23, Breeden 16, Wills 9

Mason County — Henry 24, Butler 2, McClanahan 9, Mastin 14, Owens 2, Hamilton 2, Bierley 8, Feldhaus 3, Horch 2

Short-handed Royals top Bishop Brossart 75-64

Riley Mastin had 28 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Mason County Royals to a 75-64 road win over the Bishop Brossart Mustangs on Friday night.

Mason County, without Terrell Henry and four subs due to injuries, led by eight points early in the game, but Bishop Brossart rallied to take two one-point leads in the third quarter. A 10-0 run by the Royals turned a 37-36 deficit into a 46-37 lead. Mason County went on an 8-0 run early in the fourth quarter to go up 57-43.

Three other Royals joined Mastin in double figure scoring. Carter McClanahan hit three 3-pointers and scored 17 points, KG Walton had 12 points and eight assists and Braylon Hamilton made three 3-pointers and scored 11 points.

Mason County (25-3) was 14-of-19 from the field (73.7%) in the second half and made 18-of-22 free throws in the game. The Royals had 18 assists on 25 field goals.

Mason County will host Simon Kenton on Senior Night on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Mason County        19 10 20 26 — 75

Bishop Brossart      13 15 13 23 — 64

Mason County — Routt 3, Walton 12, McClanahan 17, Mastin 28, Owens 2, Hamilton 11, Bierley 2

Bishop Brossart — Kruse 5, Woosley 21, Bezold 13, Mulberry 3, Sepate 10, Schumacher 12

Royals beat Woodford County 77-58

Mason County outscored the Woodford County Yellow Jackets 41-21 in the second half for a 77-58 victory at The Fieldhouse on Tuesday night to give Brian Kirk his 100th win as the Royals' coach.

Woodford County shot 82 percent from the field in the first half, but only had a one-point lead at halftime.

The Royals opened the third quarter on a 14-3 run and outscored the Yellow Jackets 25-16 in the fourth quarter.

KG Walton had 19 points, six rebounds and six assists. Riley Mastin had 18 points and seven rebounds and blocked four shots. Terrell Henry had 15 points and five rebounds. Henry moved past Russ Middleton into sixth place on the Royals' all-time scoring list.

Mason County (24-3) will travel to Alexandria on Friday night to play the Bishop Brossart Mustangs.

Mason County        12 24 16 25 — 77

Woodford County    14 23 05 16 — 58

Mason County — Henry 15, Walton 19, McClanahan 7, Mastin 18, Hamilton 8, Bierley 8, Horch 2

Woodford County — Wade 17, Smith 14, Jenkins 11, Nelson 10, Starkes 6

80-61 loss to Conner snaps Royals' 13-game winning streak

The Mason County Royals' 13-game winning streak was snapped by an 80-61 road loss to the Conner Cougars on Friday night.

There were four ties and nine lead changes before Conner pulled away in the third quarter with a 14-3 run.

Riley Mastin had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Royals. Braylon Hamilton added 10 points. Terrell Henry had eight points and 10 rebounds.

Mason County (23-3) will play at Bishop Brossart on February 10.

Conner                17 17 26 20 — 80

Mason County     16 17 13 15 — 61

Conner — Hamilton 22, Kramer 26, Lohr 14, Campbell 12, Fay 4, Reece 2

Mason County — Henry 8, Walton 9, McClanahan 5, Mastin 21, Hamilton 10, Bierley 8

Royals beat Walton-Verona 88-75 for 13th consecutive win

Terrell Henry scored 25 points, grabbed 12 rebounds and dished out six assists, KG Walton hit five 3-pointers and had 23 points and seven assists, Philip Bierley had 16 points and 11 rebounds and Riley Mastin tossed in 15 points to lead the Mason County Royals to an 88-75 win over the Walton-Verona Bearcats on Tuesday night at The Fieldhouse.

There were eight ties and two lead changes before Mason County pulled away in the third quarter.

The Royals (23-2) shot 55.2 percent from the field and ran their winning streak to 13 games. They have won 17 games in a row at home.

Mason County will travel to Hebron on Friday night to play the Connor Cougars. 

Mason County    17 19 29 23 — 88

Walton-Verona    17 18 16 24 — 75

Mason County — Henry 25, Walton 23, McClanahan 2, Mastin 15, Hamilton 5, Bierley 16, Horch 2

Walton-Verona — Guttman 21, Krohman 16, Dixon 18, Smith 8, Montgomery 12

Royals over Augusta 73-54 for 12th straight win

Braylon Hamilton hit five 3-pointers and scored 21 points, Terrell Henry had 21 points and nine rebounds and the Mason County Royals ran their winning streak to 12 games with a 73-54 victory over the Augusta Panthers at Augusta on Friday night.

KG Walton scored 11 points and Riley Mastin added 10 points for Mason County (22-2).

LJ Connor led Augusta (11-10) with 20 points. Kylan Hinson added 11 points.

After a close first quarter with three ties and four lead changes, Mason County outscored Augusta 27-18 in the second quarter and 18-10 in the third quarter. The Royals' biggest lead was 20 points.

Mason County shot 50 percent from the field, while Augusta shot 38.2 percent.

The Royals will host the Walton-Verona Bearcats on Tuesday night.

The Panthers will be at home Monday night against the Bracken County Polar Bears.

Mason County        12 27 18 16 — 73

Augusta                 11 18 10 15 — 54

Bracken County — Henry 21, Walton 11, McClanahan 3, Mastin 10, Scilley 2, Hamilton 21, Bierley 5

Augusta — L. Conner 20, C. Conner 4, Hinson 11, Kelsch 8, Bach 6, Snapp 5

Royals run winning streak to 11 games with a 68-52 victory over Morgan County

Terrell Henry had 25 points and 11 rebounds, Riley Mastin had 21 points and seven rebounds and the Mason County Royals ran their winning streak to 11 games with a 68-52 victory over the Morgan County Cougars at The Fieldhouse on Tuesday night.

Braylon Hamilton hit four 3-pointers including buzzer-beaters at the end of both the second and third quarters and added 12 points for the Royals who now have a 16-game homecourt winning streak. 

There were five ties and six lead changes before Mason County built a 10-point lead at 42-32 in the third quarter.

Morgan County closed to within one at 47-46 in the fourth quarter, but the Royals answered with a 10-1 run to lead 57-47.

The Cougars scored five straight points to cut the lead in half, but Mason County answered again by scoring the last 11 points of the game.

Mason County (21-2) will play the Augusta Panthers in Augusta on Friday night.

Mason County        11 26 10 21 — 68

Morgan County       12 19 12 09 — 52

Mason County — Henry 25, Walton 2, McClanahan 5, Mastin 21, Hamilton 12, Bierley 3

Morgan County — E. Griffith 3, Hoskins 14, Adams 4, Spencer 4, G. Griffith 22, Justice 5

Royals rout Johnson Central 86-46 for 10th straight win

For the second time in less than 24 hours, the Mason County Royals used the same winning formula — lights-out shooting, balanced scoring and good defense — for a blowout victory.

On Saturday it was an 86-46 win over the Johnson Central Eagles in the Lake Kelly Classic at Fleming County. It was the Royals' 10th straight victory and their 20th win of the season.

Mason County shot 59.3 percent from the field and for the second straight game made 10-of-20 3-point shots.

The Royals had 22 assists, 18 points off turnovers and outrebounded the Eagles 34-26. 

Riley Mastin scored a game-high 19 points, Terrell Henry followed with 18, Philip Bierley tossed in 15, Braylon Hamilton made 4-of-5 3-point shots and added 14 points. KG Walton had 10 assists.

Mason County (20-2) will host the Morgan County Cougars on Tuesday night.

Mason County        21 22 28 15 — 86

Johnson Central     07 21 16 02—  46

Mason County — Henry 18, Walton 2, McClanahan 8, Mastin 19, Owens 6, Scilley 2, Hamilton 14, Bierley 15, Horch 2

Johnson Central  — Lawson 7, Slone 15, Grimm 4, Rose 13, Shepherd 4, Hopkins 3

Royals defeat Dixie Heights 84-57

The Mason County Royals shot 60 percent from the field and all five starters scored in double figures in an 84-57 road win over the Dixie Heights Colonels on Friday night.

Terrell Henry and KG Walton scored 15 points apiece. Riley Mastin and Philip Bierley tossed in 13 points each and Braylon Hamilton added 10 points.

Mason County (19-2) was up 42-22 at the half and led by as many as 31 points in the third quarter.

The Royals, winners of nine straight games, will play the Johnson Central Eagles on Saturday at 4 p.m. in the Lake Kelly Classic at Fleming County.

 

Mason County    19 23 23 19 — 84

Dixie Heights      11 11 13 22 — 57

Mason County — Henry 15, Walton 15, McClanahan 9, Mastin 13, Scilley 1, Hamilton 10, Bierley 13, Feldhaus 3, McClain 2, Gibbs 2, Overly 1

Dixie Heights — Niehaus 8, Rice 8, Bock 12, Johnson 6, Kazmaier 3, McMurty 6, Blank 4, Derry 7, Neal 1, Stulz 2

Mason County wins Kentucky 2A Championships state tournament

Another banner will be raised at The Fieldhouse because the Mason County Royals are the 2023 2A state champions. 

Mason County edged the Lexington Catholic Knights 40-39 in the championship game of the Kentucky 2A Championships state tournament at the Owensboro Sportscenter on Sunday afternoon.

The Royals did not take their first lead in the game until the 3:36 mark of the third quarter when Terrell Henry's layup made the score 29-28. There would be six more lead changes.

After a 33-33 tie, Henry hit two free throws with 2:05 remaining in the game and Riley Mastin made a layup to give Mason County its biggest lead at 37-33 with 1:31 left.

Lexington Catholic guard John Reinhart missed a 3-point shot, but was fouled. He sank all three foul shots with 1:12 to go.

A steal and a basket by Rowan Williams gave the Knights their last lead at 38-37.

Henry converted an old fashioned three-point play with 31 seconds left to push the Royals back in front at 40-38.

Lexington Catholic's Brody Turner was fouled on a missed shot with six seconds remaining. He missed the first free throw and made the second.

Henry missed the front end of the 1-and-1 with five seconds left. After getting the rebound and calling timeout with four seconds to go, the Knights drove the length of the floor and missed a shot from the right corner at the buzzer.

Henry scored a game-high 14 points and was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament. 

Mastin had 13 points and six rebounds.

Mastin, KG Walton, Philip Bierley and Carter McClahanan were named to the All-Tournament Team.

Mason County is 17-2 and has won seven straight games. The Royals will travel to Falmouth on Tuesday night to play the Pendleton County Wildcats.

The loss snapped Lexington Catholic's 19-game winning streak. The Knights are 19-2.

Mason County            07 12 12 09 — 40

Lexington Catholic      13 06 13 07 — 39

Mason County — Henry 14, Walton 7, Mastin 13, Hamilton 3, Bierley 3

Lexington Catholic — Doyle 7, Turner 7, R. Williams 2, Reinhart 7, M. Williams 3, Potter 13

Royals advance to the finals of the Kentucky 2A Championships with a win over McCreary Central

The Mason County Royals will play the Lexington Catholic Knights in the championship game of the Kentucky 2A Championships state tournament after beating the McCreary Central Raiders 72-54 in the semifinals on Saturday night at the Owensboro Sportscenter.

All five Mason County starters scored in double figures. Terrell Henry scored 18 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Riley Mastin had 18 points and seven rebounds. Braylon Hamilton hit four 3-pointers and scored 14 points. Philip Bierley added 10 points and 10 rebounds. KG Walton scored 10 points and dished out seven assists.

The Royals were up 32-18 at halftime and led by 25 points in the third quarter.

Mason County is 16-2 and has won six straight games.

The championship game is scheduled on Sunday at 2 p.m. (CST).

Mason County            22 10 17 23 — 72

McCreary Central       11 07 13 12 — 54

Mason County — Henry 18, Walton 10, Mastin 18, Hamilton 14, Bierley 10, Horch 2

McCreary Central — Giglio 6, McKinney 14, Shook 2, R. Farris 6, B. Farris 7, Privett 2, Stephens 17

Royals beat Magoffin County 72-62 and advance to semis of Kentucky 2A Championships state tournament

Five Royals scored in double figures and Mason County defeated the Magoffin County Hornets 72-62 in the quarterfinal round of the Kentucky 2A Championships state tournament at the Owensboro Sportscenter on Friday night.

Terrell Henry had 25 points and six rebounds. KG Walton had 14 points and five assists. Philip Bierley scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Carter McClanahan and Riley Mastin scored 10 points apiece.

Magoffin County junior guard Aden Barnett scored 34 points.

There were nine lead changes and 10 ties in the game.

Mason County's biggest lead was 12 points at 48-36 in the third quarter.

The Royals (15-2) will play McCreary Central in the semifinals today at 6 p.m. (CST).

Mason County        12 23 15 22 — 72

Magoffin County     16 18 12 16 — 62

Mason County — Henry 25, Walton 14, McClanahan 10, Mastin 10, Hamilton 2, Bierley 11

Magoffin County — Barnett 34, G. Whitaker 12, Z. Whitaker 12, Lafferty 4

Royals defeat Campbell County 77-73

The Mason County Royals held off Campbell County's late rally and beat the Camels 77-73 on Tuesday night at Campbell County.

After trailing by four points at halftime, the Royals outscored the Camels 28-14 in the third quarter. Mason County led 68-55 early in the fourth quarter. 

There were five ties and nine lead changes through the first three quarters.

Terrell Henry led Mason County in scoring with 23 points. Riley Mastin had 21 points and nine rebounds. KG Walton made four 3-pointers, scored 13 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished out eight assists. Philip Bierley had 11 points and eight rebounds. 

Aydan Hamilton had 33 points and nine rebounds for Campbell County (9-7).

Mason County (14-2) ran its winning streak to four games. The Royals will play Magoffin County in the Kentucky 2A Championships state tournament in Owensboro on Friday night.

Mason County        19 18 28 12 — 77

Campbell County    20 21 14 18 — 73

Mason County — Henry 23, Walton 13, McClanahan 1, Mastin 21, Hamilton 8, Bierley 11 

Campbell County — Hamilton 33, Gross 15, Combs 3, Weinel 2, Smith 3, Jackson 11, Hill 6

Royals headed to 2A state for the second straight year

The Mason County Royals qualified for the Kentucky 2A Championships state basketball tournament for the second straight year with a 78-58 victory over the Estill County Engineers in the Section 6 championship game on Saturday at Greenup County.

Mason County (13-2) led by 20 points late in the second quarter and was up 42-26 at the half.

After Estill County closed the gap to 10, Mason County coach Brian Kirk pulled his starters with 5:11 to play in the third quarter.

The substitutes quickly got the Royals back on track — Grant Owens drew a charge, Conner Butler hit a 3-pointer, Owens drew another charge, Butler sank another 3-pointer, and after an Estill County basket, Carter McClanahan made one of his five 3-pointers to make the score 53-36.

Mason County was up 53-40 when the starters returned with 1:49 left in the third quarter.

The Royals led 57-40 after three quarters and took their biggest lead, 24 points, at 78-54 with one minute remaining in the game.

McClanahan and Terrell Henry scored 15 points apiece. Philip Bierley followed with 13 points and Riley Mastin added 12 points.

Mason County will be back in action on Tuesday night at Campbell County.

The Royals will play Magoffin County, the Section 8 champion, in the Kentucky 2A Championships state tournament at the Owensboro Sports Center on Friday.

Mason County    18 24 15 21 — 78

Estill County       10 16 14 18 — 58

(Updated to add Magoffin County as Mason County's opponent in the Kentucky 2A Championships state tournament.)

Mason County — Henry 15, Butler 6, Walton 4, McClanahan 15,

Mastin 12, Hamilton 8, Bierley 13, Feldhaus 5

Estill County — Benton 4, Rose 15, Riddell 10, Brown 15, Arvin 2, Beckler 9, Brinegar 3

Royals defeat Fleming County 73-68 in Kentucky 2A Championships Section 6 semifinals

The Mason County Royals led by 18 points early in the fourth quarter and were able to hang on for a 73-68 victory over the Fleming County Panthers in the semifinals of the Kentucky 2A Championships Section 6 Tournament at Greenup County on Thursday night.

After leading by two points at halftime, the Royals outscored the Panthers 21-8 in the third quarter and scored the first three points of the fourth quarter to lead 58-40. Fleming County, playing without point guard Lucas Jolly who is injured, chipped away at Mason County's lead, but ran out of time. 

Braylon Hamilton led Mason County in scoring with 17 points. Terrell Henry had 13 points and 10 rebounds. Carter McClanahan scored 13 points. Riley Mastin tossed in 14 points.

Seth Hickerson poured in 32 points for Fleming County (9-7). Isaac Frye scored 15 points and Adam Hargett added 12 points.

Mason County (12-2) will play the Estill County Engineers in the championship game on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Greenup County.

Mason County      12 22 21 18 — 73

Fleming County    15 17 08 28 — 68

Mason County — Henry 13, Walton 8, McClanahan 13, Mastin 14, Hamilton 17, Bierley 8

Fleming County — Hickerson 32, Hargett 12, Frye 15, James 9