Strong second half propels Tigers past Redskins
By: Kevin L. Smith | Sayre Morning Times | February 22, 2018 | Photo courtesy Kevin L. Smith
MANSFIELD — Sayre took control of the first half, but an impressive Mansfield run in the second half gave the Tigers a 70-52 victory, Wednesday in the first round of the District IV playoffs.
Despite a slow start for Mansfield, Coach Kipper Burleigh quickly saw his team use the second half to their advantage.
"We didn't shoot very well, and it seemed like we were playing not to lose — and that is unhealthy," Burleigh said. "Once we got it rolling, I have a lot of guys who are unselfish and can score. It's a nice attribute."
Coach David Gabriel appreciated the momentum from his Redskins, but he saw it start to fizzle quickly in bits near the end of the game.
"We were fighting and punching back all game, but we haven't been doing that consistently throughout the season," Gabriel said.
Sayre usually found themselves with a decent lead, but the mentality of that lead throws them off.
"They've been in a situation where they struggle to find that spark, and that's something that happened tonight," Gabriel said. "We struggle to keep up with it."
Late in the first period, the Redskins clung to a 9-8 lead. Corbin Brown then drilled a three-pointer, giving Sayre a 12-8 advantage. Garrett David tied it up at 12 then gave the Tigers the lead at 14-12 with a two-pointer. Seconds later, Brown tied it at 14 for Sayre on a two-point put-back off of a rebound. Brown for Sayre hit the end of the floor for a hard-nosed two-pointer, giving the Redskins a lead at 16-14. By the end of the period, it was 16-15 Sayre.
In the second period, the Redskins bounced to a 21-15 lead on five points between Brown and James Esposito. Mansfield cut it to 22-20 late in the second, but an 8-2 run from Redskins gave them a 30-22 lead with 1:41 to go in the first half. Jordan Rockwell drained a long-range three-pointer deeper into the second, putting Sayre up 33-24. Sawyer Freeman followed with a shot from beyond the arch for Mansfield, which cut the deficit to 33-27. Sayre maintained a six-point lead (35-29) heading into the half.
"We were very patient in the first half with getting really good shots, and converging on those shots," Gabriel said. "The first half was very exciting in terms of offense."
Burleigh mentioned, "For whatever reason at first, our kids were flat. They had no energy."
Sayre darted to a 39-31 lead in the third period. But the Tigers quickly clawed back. Fueled by an 11-0 run that included seven points between Nick Kasper and Brent Burleigh, Mansfield suddenly took a 42-39 lead.
Gabriel saw his team completely blank in that short period of the third.
"The three or four minutes in the third quarter, we really got away from what we were doing offensively," Gabriel said.
Sayre, however, finished the third period strong. The Redskins got three free throws from James Esposito, and a big two-pointer from Brown, to make the score 46-44 Sayre. David got two points and free throw on a foul for Mansfield, which put the Tigers up 47-46 at the end of the third.
The fourth period was all Mansfield. Sayre scored just six points in the quarter, while the Tigers dominated with 23 points. The 23 points included an 11-2 run. Mansfield reached past a 10-point lead at 58-48 when Jayden Andrews got the two-pointer and a free throw off of a foul.
"The second half was a big turnaround," Burleigh said. "The kids got their heads into the game and started playing with energy, which really happened."
Gabriel knew how good of a team the Tigers can be, and saw his team struggle to finish.
"A team like (Mansfield), you can't sit on them," Gabriel said.
Brown dropped 20 points for the Redskins. Gage Carnrike and Ryan Murrelle each scored nine points in their effort.
For the Tigers, Meyer had 21 points. David scored 14 points, while Freeman added 10 points.
Moving forward in districts, Burleigh knows exactly what his team has to do.
"We have to make better decisions with the basketball moving forward," Burleigh said.
