Mustang Boys Suffer Setbacks

After two wins against George C. Marshall High School and Cavalry Temple, the George Mason High School boys basketball team has suffered three straight defeats at the hands of Fairfax, Central Woodstock and district foe Strasburg as the Mustangs head into the holiday break. Injuries and illnesses have derailed the Mustangs’ momentum as the head into Fauquier/Liberty Winter Tournament. Against Central Woodstock, Mason suffered from the absence of seniors Colin Molano, Sam Ehsani and Josiah Larson, all starters for the team.

Trailing 31-22 at the half, the Mustangs hung in the game, paced by junior Travis Greene’s 10 points and six rebounds and nine points and 10 boards from senior Will Straub. But, 21 second-half turnovers sabotaged any comeback attempt the team could mount, ultimately succumbing by the final score of 63-51.

The game marked the varsity debut of freshman guard Mike Schwengel. He made an immediate impact with seven points and five assists. Mason faced another uphill battle Tuesday night against Bull Run District power Strasburg. Again the Mustangs were shorthanded, missing Larson, junior forward Zack Hall and sophomore Ben Zorn, three of the tallest players on the team. That height would have been very useful, and could have been the difference in a 68-62 loss to a tall and talented Strasburg squad.

The Rams dominated the first half pulling ahead 39-24 at the break, but the Mustangs came alive in the second frame, scoring 11 unanswered points to pull within seven. Strasburg rallied to open the lead back up to 14 at the start of the fourth quarter, but Mason again hit the ground running. A rash of Strasburg fouls and a three-point play by senior Stephen Williams trimmed the lead to eight and the Mustangs pulled within five after a steal by Schwengel led to a three-pointer by Molano, and Greene followed with a layup with 3:13 remaining. Aggressive defense by the Mustangs led to another steal by Greene and a three-pointer by Schwengel to close the deficit to just four points with 31 seconds left. The Mustangs got the ball back once more after a steal by Straub, but Molano’s shot bounced off the rim. Two more foul shots by the Rams accounted for the final margin.

“We just ran out of gas,” Head Coach Broderick said. “It was intense. I thought we came out a little flat, but we played hard. We just came up short.”

Molano led the Mustangs with 16 points, including four three-pointers, while Greene added eight points and 10 rebounds. Paul Mene chipped in with 10 points.

Mason next plays Fauquier at 7:45 p.m. Tuesday. The Mustangs will then meet either Massaponax or Broad Run Wednesday depending on the results of the first round.

The JV team will also compete in the tournament’s JV bracket. Mason’s JV team is off to a flying start, posting a 5-0 overall record and a 1-0 mark in the District.

“The future certainly looks bright for Mason,” Broderick said.