By Jayson Larson Sports Editor
Athens Head Coach Tracy Carter knew Ennis sophomore sensation Jordan Mason was going to eventually heat up.
It was just a matter of when.
The answer? The second half.
Mason scored 21 of his game-high 26 points in the second half as the Lions (2-3) handed the Hornets (1-1) a 70-59 loss Monday night at AHS Gym.
“I didn’t really think we had the energy we needed all night long,” Carter said. “We made a lot of mistakes on putbacks that we missed, and we got hurt on the boards. But we’ve had four practices, and these are very correctable mistakes.”
Clayton Webb was the biggest hurter of the Hornets on the boards, grabbing 12 rebounds to go with 19 points. J.T. Florence had 16 points for the Lions, who outscored Athens, 23-13, in the third quarter to take command of the game.
The Lions rattled off a 13-3 run, including a pair of threes by Florence, to turn Athens’ 30-27 halftime lead into a 48-38 deficit in the third. The Hornets were able to keep it close, however, on a free throw each by Zach Basher and Robert Donnell and Nick Monmouth’s long-range three near the buzzer.
Monmouth’s bomb kept the Ennis lead to seven, 50-43, heading into the fourth quarter.
Athens’ own super sophomore, Kendall Sanders, got going in the fourth quarter, hitting for 10 of his team-high 14 points. His three-pointer with 3:33 left cut the lead to 64-54, and Jonathon Dora (10 points, four boards) trimmed it to eight with a jumper at the 3:05 mark.
The Lions were able to sink most of their free throw shots down the stretch, however, to close out the game. Ennis was 12 of 15 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter.
The Hornets return home Tuesday, Dec. 1, to face the Kemp Yellowjackets. Ninth grade will begin at 5 p.m., with JV to follow at 6:30 and varsity at 8.
