Mustangs Roll to 49-33 Win in Region B Tournament

A bloodied nose couldn’t keep Nate Ogle off the floor for the Mustangs Wednesday night as Mason battled Appomattox High en route to a 49-33 win. The Mustangs will now play Clarke County Friday evening for the fifth time in the next round of the Virginia High School League Region B Tournament.

Ogle, who scored the game’s first points on a three-pointer, said he was elbowed in the nose by Devanti Perkins in the third period when the Raiders forward was coming down with a rebound. Ogle (8 points) left the game briefly and returned in the fourth period and helped the Mustangs clamp down on the Raiders defensively.

“This is what it’s all about,” Ogle said. “It would be nice to do what the girls team does every year.”

Raiders Head Coach Aric Mawdesley knew his team had to play tight defense against the Mustangs in order to win. He said his game plan was to take the Mustangs open shots from them and force turnovers. Even with his game plan at work, the Raiders couldn’t beat Mason.

“We had the tempo we wanted,” Mawdesley said. “I told my guys if we keep them under 60 we had a chance.”

With 6:12 left in the game, Shaquan Moore brought the Raiders within three with a three-pointer but Eion Oosterbaan answered right back with a three-pointer of his own. The Mustangs were up 37-31 when Moore (9 points) was fouled shooting another three-pointer but missed all three foul shots before fouling out.

“We didn’t play well for much of the game, but I’m happy to be moving on,” said Mustang Head Coach Chris Capannola.

Capannola said this time of year is about surviving and advancing. He said the Raiders played good defense and kept the Mustangs from scoring more points. He said his team has to do a better job of scoring if they want to continue in the tournament.

“I think we could have made it to the basket more,” Capannola said. “We didn’t move the ball like we wanted to.”

Jeremy Stewart, who led all scores with 14, said usually before games Capannola will tell them if a team is physical or not. He said the game was tough but he was excited to be moving on. He said he’s ready for Clarke County Friday night for the fifth time this season.

“We lost in this round last year,” Stewart said. “It’s pretty exciting to have won.”