[Stardust]

By BRAD LAUX, For The Ledger Independent
http://maysville-online.com/articles/200...royals.txt

SANDY HOOK - Tuesday's Mason County-Elliott County game lived up to its billing as a heavyweight prize fight between two of the state's top boys' basketball teams.

It even had a Pay-Per-View twist.

The game was broadcast live on Huntington-Charleston, W.Va., television station WSAZ's digital channel.

Mason County answered the bell first, building an 8-0 lead as the Royals dominated the boards. Elliott County tried to answer, but with every body blow it delivered the Royals countered with a head shot that stunned the Lions.

However, the Royals were unable to deliver the knockout punch. After staggering through the first quarter and weathering Mason County's best shots, Elliott County finally found its shooting touch and eventually won, 85-71.

Elliott County fought its way out of the corner to claw back within two points after a three-point play by Ethan Faulkner with 24 seconds left in the opening period.



The two teams traded baskets early in the second quarter, but a pair of back-to-back 3-pointers by Treg Setty and Ryan Hamm pushed the Mason County lead to nine (25-16).

The Royals held an eight-point advantage with 2:42 to play in the second quarter, but the visitors' hold on the lead started to slip away as Elliott County started to find its range.

Behind a pair of Evan Faulkner 3-pointers, the Lions reeled off 10 straight points. The run culminated when reserve forward Jacob Ison put back an offensive rebound with 1:14 to play, giving the hosts a 36-34 lead.

“I thought we had an opportunity to go into halftime with an eight to 10-point lead,” Mason County coach Chris O'Hearn said. “But we got caught up in the game. We took some quick shots and they hit some big threes.”

Setty made a pair of free throws right before halftime to send the teams into the locker rooms with a 36-36 tie.

Elliott County continued its surge at the start of the second half. Ethan Faulkner converted a pair of layups in the first minute and a half and the Lions gradually built on the lead from there.




Elliott County pulled ahead by as many as 11 in the third period.

The Royals closed within six points (58-52) on a Russ Middleton layup with 1:28 to play in the quarter. But after stopping the Lions, the senior point guard was whistled for a charge on Mason County's next possession and the visitors never mounted another serious run.

Middleton cut the margin back down to nine points (73-64) on a layup with 2:47 to play, but Timmy Knipp converted an offensive rebound into two points and then added a 3-pointer from the corner to squelch the Royals' last gasp.

Elliott County connected on 74 percent of its shots in the second half and finished the game hitting 57 percent from the field.

Evan Faulkner, who signed to play at Division I Radford University, led all scorers with 26 points. Jonathan Ferguson chipped in 22 and Ethan Faulkner added 15.

Middleton paced Mason County with 20 points. Setty added 18 points and eight rebounds.

Mason County 17 19 16 19 -- 71

Elliott County 13 23 24 26 -- 86

MC: Middleton 8 4-5 20, Setty 6 4-5 18, Gilbert 5 0-0 11, Pawsat 4 0-0 9, Barner 2 0-0 4, Downing 1 1-2 3, Hamm 2 0-0 6, J. Lang 0 0-0 0, B. Lang 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 9-12 71.

EC: Ev. Faulkner 11 0-1 26. Ev. Faulkner 5 5-7 15, Ferguson 7 7-8 22, T. Knipp 5 2-2 12, C. Knipp 3 0-1 6, Ison 1 2-2 4, Flanery 0 0-0 0, Morgan 0 0-0 0. Totals 32 16-21 86.

3-pointers: MC 6 (Hamm 2, Setty 2, Pawsat, Gilbert). EC 6 (Ev. Faulkner 4, Ferguson, T. Knipp). Records: Elliott County 22-2. Mason County 15-6.