By Caitlin Butler

George Mason High School’s boys basketball team didn’t show much love to Warren County High School by giving it a 78-51 walloping on Valentine’s Day.

The Wildcats came out swinging in the contest as an early Warren County lead forced Mason to dig itself out of a hole. After multiple Wildcat turnovers, senior forward Daniel Miller was finally able to take advantage and make the tying bucket to draw the score even at 5-5.

The Mustangs began to set the pace from there. Thanks in part to junior guard Bobby Asel’s 10 points in the opening period alone, Mason mounted a 17-12 run to take a 22-17 lead into the second quarter.

It was in this quarter that Mason exerted the most influence over the game’s outcome. The Mustangs came alive offensively in the second quarter with seven different players scoring and was a large part of the reason why three players — junior guard Deven Martino, sophomore forward Duncan Miller and Asel — would score in double figures on the night.

The Wildcats only managed to tack on 10 points the second while the home team nailed down 25 points to their total, giving Mason a 47-27 halftime lead.

There was still some hope for Warren County if they could pull off a competitive third quarter and trim down the Mustangs’ advantage. However, the Mustangs were just too sharp on the night to allow a comeback to happen. A gritty 16 points, five of which belonged to Martino, helped ensure the Mustangs 63-38 margin would allow them to coast once the fourth quarter rolled around.

Reserves helped close out the game for Mason in the fourth to bring it to its final score and secure a lopsided, 27-point victory.

Mason will now host the opening round of postseason tournament play on Friday at 7:45 p.m. against a to-be-determined opponent.