Hughes reaches 1,000 points in Ursuline rout

March 4, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Heading into Tuesday’s sectional semifinal against Grand Valley High, Ursuline senior Mark Hughes needed 15 points in order to become just the sixth player in Fighting Irish boys basketball history to record 1,000 points for a career.

With 14 points a little over a minute into the second quarter and his team looking to stretch their 24-2 advantage, he brought the crowd to its feet when he connected on the first of two charity tosses for his milestone point.

The crowd, however, didn’t seem as loud as when he missed an opportunity to record that point with a free throw as time was running out in the opening period.

Hughes’ 16 points and a stingy Ursuline defense helped the Fighting Irish coast to a 76-24 victory over the Mustangs in the Division III tournament opener.

“My entire family was here tonight and they always give it to me when I miss a free throw. I kind of expected that reaction when I missed that attempt at the end of the first quarter,” Hughes said. “It’s a great feeling to know that all of my hard work after being in the gym every day since my freshman year has finally paid off.”

Ursuline (18-5) remained undefeated in nine home contests after racing to a 21-0 advantage in the opening quarter and holding the Mustangs scoreless for the first 8:56 of the game.

Hughes scored 16 of Ursuline’s first 26 points before starters were relegated to the bench by head coach Keith Gunther, all in favor of playing time for non-starters.

In all, 13 of 15 players who dressed scored for the Fighting Irish and five players combined to register its nine buckets from beyond the arc.

Nine points by Greg Perella and two triples by Dakota Hobbs in the second frame staked Ursuline to a 44-7 halftime advantage.

“The game plan was to apply pressure and take them out of what they do best while our big guys created problems inside due to their height advantage,” Gunther said. “As for Mark, I’m proud of his many accomplishments and to hit 1,000 points in his career. He’s easy to coach, comes to practice every day ready to play, goes all out and has been like that since his freshman year. Plus, he’s a 2.9 student in the classroom. He will be remembered as one of the UHS all-time greats that people will be talking about in 15 years.”

Two triples by Vince Venzio in the third quarter helped Ursuline build a 58-20 margin while the Fighting Irish outscored Grand Valley (5-18), 18-4 in the final frame for their third consecutive win.

“We ran into a buzzsaw today and while we expected it, I hope our kids can learn from Ursuline’s intensity and their helter-skelter play defensively,” Mustangs coach Matt Brumit said. “There’s a reason Ursuline is 18-5 and their defense is a big part of that success. For me, I need to coach my guys to learn that type of intensity on defense.”

The Mustangs end their season with a six-game losing streak, having won just three of 11 road contests.