BOYS BASKETBALL Struthers' comeback magic falls short

Girard's Randy Mason sank two free throws in the final seconds to give the Indians a 51-46 victory.
By CHUCK HOUSTEAU
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
STRUTHERS -- The Struthers High boys basketball team was nearing its second-straight fourth quarter comeback victory this week, but Girard's Randy Mason would not allow that to happen.
Mason, the standout quarterback for the Indians' football team, calmly sank two free throws with 15.6 seconds remaining to seal a 51-46 victory for Girard at Struthers Fieldhouse.
The Wildcats were down 47-37 with less than two minutes remaining in the game before rallying to within two, 47-45, on a basket by Jim Franceschelli with 29.3 seconds to play.
The comeback was similar to last Tuesday's effort against Hubbard. In that contest, the Wildcats rallied from 12 points down in the final two minutes to tie the score in regulation and eventually win in overtime.
"You have to give our kids credit, they never quit," said Struthers coach Joe Fuline. "They kept coming to get it to within two. We needed one more possession, but we didn't get it."
Pressure player: Girard coach Mike DelBene said he had a good feeling when Mason stepped to the line with the game on the line.
"If we can get [Mason] at the line every game, I'd be happy," DelBene said. "Randy knocked them down and put us in a good position."
DelBene called Mason a leader and coach on the floor who strives in clutch situations.
"I wanted to be at the line at that point in the game," said Mason, who led all scorers with 21 points. "That's the position you want be in.
"We haven't beat Struthers in a long time, so it was a big win to come in here and get one."
Girard (2-1) played good basketball through the first three and a half quarters. The Indians, with Mason running the show and Walter Jones banging the boards for 13 points and seven rebounds, slowly pulled away from Struthers after an even first half.
Jones fouled out right before Struthers' comeback attempt.
Rallying: Trailing by 10 points, Struthers' surge started with a steal and a layup by Jason Martin. After two free throws by Franceschelli and another steal by Struthers, Martin -- who had 13 points -- tipped in a missed shot, and suddenly the Wildcats were down 47-43.
Franceschelli's driving layup cut the lead to two points before the teams traded late free throws by Greg Cook for Girard and Martin for the Wildcats.
Seconds later, Mason sealed the victory.
"We got down in the last game and was able to come back," Fuline said. "I told our kids you can't count on that all the time. You have to get out early and we just didn't do it."
Both teams shot well from the floor but struggled to make their free throws. Struthers made only 8-of-16 from the stripe, while the Indians connected on only 12-of-25.
"This is a tough place to win," DelBene said. "Especially when you have a lot of players who have never played varsity before. This was a big win for us."
Jim Tabak led Struthers in scoring with 18 points on 8-of-8 shooting from the floor.