Legron, deep bench pushes Mansfield Senior past Madison in down-to-the-wire victory

MADISON TOWNSHIP — In Richland County, there may not be a better way to kick off the New Year weekend than with the classic cross-town rivalry between Madison (5-5) and Senior High (7-2).

Coming off of a tough loss to Shelby on Wednesday night, the Tygers had a chance to right the ship heading into 2023 and they made the most of the opportunity, putting on a show for the sea of orange and brown that flooded Madison’s packed gymnasium.

Running with an athletic and deep lineup, Senior High’s bench made all of the difference, combining for 34 points on the night. Perhaps the most surprising performance of the night came from sophomore shooting guard Jakob Legron, whose 18 points propelled the Tygers to a 71-62 OCC victory.

“Jakob is a guy that has really high expectations for himself and for us as coaches, we have high expectations for him, as well,” said Senior High coach Marquis Sykes. “He works his tail off. [He’s] probably the hardest working player I’ve ever coached.”

Trailing by one early after the first quarter, Legron took matters into his own hands, showing his prowess by attacking the rim and from behind the arc. The Rams, playing a high-tempo man-to-man defense, pressured Senior High and limited open-shot opportunities. However, Legron attacked the paint, beating his defender off the dribble, finishing at the rim, or working his way to the free throw line.

“[Legron] was a real shot in the arm for them. We’ve got to do a better job of not leaving our feet so much and wanting to block shots and just be solid on defense,” said Madison coach Chris Armstrong.

Legron connected on six free throws in the quarter. He also made matters worse for the Rams after drilling a deep three ball, retaking the lead early in the quarter. Legron also showed his athletic ability, nailing a step-back jump shot that left his defender stumbling.

“He’s one that gets after it. He does everything he can in the weight room, does everything he can in individual instruction, and the whole nine,” said Sykes. “He deserves all of the good plays that happened for him. It’s because he’s worked his tail off … we’ve been waiting for one of those breakout nights from him.”

Playing with a short bench and trying to match Senior High’s fast pace of play, the Rams quickly fell into foul trouble. Freshman point guard Seven Allen, who has been an integral part of Madison’s offense, quickly found himself with three fouls in the first half. Senior forward Tatum Turcott was also forced to take a seat after picking up two fouls, stalling Madison’s offense.

“With two fouls we rolled with [Allen] there and unfortunately he picked up his third and that made it tough to just get into a rhythm,” said Armstrong. “We knew their pressure was going to be good and they were going to play a lot of guys. Could our shorter bench withstand the pressure - because it’s not just physical it’s also mental.”

The Rams were forced to switch to a zone defense, which slowed down the Tygers temporarily. With Allen on the bench, senior shooting guard Jayden Jeffries stepped up to keep the game at a manageable deficit going into the halftime break. With fantastic footwork around the rim, Jeffries battled to finish in the paint and also connected from deep, scoring 11 points in the half and cutting Senior High’s lead to just eight at the break.

Coming out of halftime, the Tygers continued rotating players from their bench while pressuring Madison’s ball handlers. Obviously beginning the tire, the Rams played a 2-3, looking to stop Senior High’s penetration into the paint.

Legron stepped up once again, scoring seven more points in the quarter and mixing in shots from behind the arc and in the paint. Junior forward Elias Owens also provided a spark for the Tygers, acting as a dominant presence in the post and draining a deep three with just 20 seconds left in the quarter. Owens connected on three of his four three-point shots on the night despite working from the post most of the game.

“My coach told me if I’m open to shoot so that’s what I did for him,” said Owens. “Jakob had some clutch shots, too, so that’s really what got him and me going.”

Back on the court since being in foul trouble early, Seven Allen came alive for the Rams at the right time, scoring eight points in the quarter after being held to just one in the first half. Jeffries also continued with the hot hand, scoring 11 in the third quarter and connecting on a buzzer-beating three to cut Madison’s deficit to 50-55.

“[Jayden] has been fantastic for us and Seven is just going to be a phenomenal point guard. I think he’s the best point guard in the area and I think Jayden is the best wing in the area as far as I’m concerned,” said Armstrong.

Allen and Jefferies wasted no time getting the Rams going in the fourth, combining for eight straight points to start the quarter and tie the game just above the five-minute mark.

“[Jayden] is a good player and one of the best in the conference,” said Owens. “We just had to put our better defenders on them and they did the job to get us the win.”

However, it was time for two more Tygers to step up in the quarter. Sophomore Kyevi Roane worked his way to the line, scoring all seven of his fourth-quarter points on foul shots. Impressively, Senior shot 71 percent from the foul line on the night. Freshman Rashad Reed also contributed six points in the quarter, connecting on a three that put the dagger in Madison’s comeback chances and secured Senior’s 71-62 victory.

Sykes was pleased with his team’s ability to get more players involved but noted they are still looking to find the best combination of players to have on the floor together saying, “right now we’re also kind of looking for the best mix of players and who plays best with who. We’re still trying to get a feel for that. We don’t fully have it down… we’re still a work in progress trying to figure out our rotations and substitutions on the bench.”

Armstrong complimented his team’s grit but emphasized the importance of learning from their mistakes down the stretch in close games saying, “we battled back and kept getting closer. It was an eleven-point game and we tied it up fifty-eight all. I thought from there we gave up a couple of offensive rebounds and tired turnovers so we’ve got to watch film and learn from our mistakes.”

Legron (18) led the Tygers in scoring and also dished out two assists. Roane and Owens followed behind, each scoring 13 points of their own. Reed contributed nine points, as well. They will take on Ashland on Tuesday, looking to get the new year off to a hot start.

Jeffries (27) was the leading scorer for Madison. He was followed by Allen who contributed 14 points and four rebounds. Sophomore Owen Wigton (10) reached double digits, spurred by the three-ball. On the downside, Madison’s bench did not contribute a point on the night. They will look to fight their way back above .500 on Tuesday at West Holmes.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Legron, deep bench pushes Mansfield Senior past Madison