by AKRON, Ohio– Sophomore Nylah Mason and junior Tatiana Mason took charge Wednesday night, scoring a combined 45 points to help power the Arcs past the Knights in a physical game.
“They can win shooting the way, they can win bullying, they can win passing,” head coach Demarris Winters said after the win. “Tonight, they had to scrap and they played through. They play all game, every game.”
The Arcs set the tone early, using relentless full-court pressure to rattle the Knights from the opening tip. That defensive intensity quickly translated into offense, sparking an 11–2 run in the first four minutes. Nylah Mason and Ohio State commit Tatiana Mason fueled the aggressive attack, consistently getting to the free-throw line and exploiting a Knights defense that frequently sent double teams at Tatiana.
By the end of the first quarter, the Arcs had built a 21–10 lead—and they weren’t done. Early in the second quarter, Nylah Mason was fouled on a three-point attempt and converted two of three free throws. From there, the Arcs fully seized control, outscoring the Knights 17–7 over the final six minutes of the first half.
Playing with poise and purpose, the Mason sisters continued to pressure the defense, finding open teammates like Juliana Ferreria and Jakalyn Brown for high percentage looks the Knights struggled to defend. Plagued by turnovers and forced shots, the Knights had few answers as they headed into halftime trailing 42–21.
“Tonight, it wasn’t really pretty. I thought we got beat up a little bit but that’s what Hoban does,” Winters shared. “We were able to slow them down a little bit and execute some stuff and run some stuff. They pulled through, that’s what good teams do, they pull through.”
The Arcs’ lead hovered around 15 points for much of the third quarter as the Knights looked to spark a second-half rally. Ella Bockmore, Milan Pearson and MaKenzie Grant provided a push, knocking down timely three-pointers to keep the Knights within striking distance. Each time momentum began to shift, however, Nylah Mason answered on the other end—making key plays that quickly shut down any comeback attempt.
“We got a lot of good individual defensive players,” Winters continued. “We’re not as deep as we used to be.”
Brown finished with 11 points for the Arcs, as her and the Mason sisters ended the night scoring all but seven of the team’s 63 points. For the Knights, Grant finished with a team-high 16 points along with 11 each from Bockmore and Pearson.
