Mason returned in the second half, finishing with 20 points as the 17th-ranked Hawks held off the Bears, 67-57, in double-overtime. Playing through the pain, she came through with the shot that saved the Hawks from their second loss in three games, hitting a game-tying three-pointer with seven seconds left in overtime to extend the game.
At one point in the second half, Mason looked toward Urbana Coach Jessica Mills and wondered how she should shoot free throws. Mills told her to attempt them left-handed, but the Shepherd University recruit nonetheless made both shots steadying the ball on her heavily wrapped hand.
The Hawks (12-1, 7-0 MVAL Piedmont) ultimately needed all of Mason’s production to survive Oakdale, a second-year squad that features several girls who played for Urbana as freshmen.
“I’ve had girls roll ankles and come back, but to play through something like that? — Absolutely not,” Mills said. “That just shows the type of player that she is. She didn’t want to let her team down.”
Mason, who averages 19.4 points per game, confirmed the trainer’s initial diagnosis with a trip to an urgent care clinic late Friday night. She said she planned to meet with an orthopedist on Monday and expects to be sidelined for at least four weeks. She hopes to return for the playoffs as the Hawks bid for a third straight state tournament appearance.
Mills said junior Claudia Lohr will take over starting point guard duties in Mason’s absence, beginning with Tuesday’s showdown against defending Maryland 3A champ Frederick.
“I have a lot of confidence in my team, and we have people who are going to step up,” Mason said. “I’ll do whatever I can to help and cheer them on.”
Gaithersburg goes inside
A year ago, Gaithersburg dashed to its first Maryland 4A title on the strength of strong guard play, using fastbreaks and pressure defense to wear down opponents. The third-ranked Trojans can still push the tempo and Coach Adrian McDaniel rarely eases back on his team’s full-court trapping press, but they have more balance this time around.
In Friday’s 66-45 win over Northwest, senior Jackie Jackson and sophomore Janessa Fauntroy combined for 32 points and 19 rebounds. The pair provided relentless work on the offensive glass and blocked two shots apiece on defense as Gaithersburg (13-0, 5-0 Montgomery 4A West) erased an early deficit and pulled away over the game’s final three quarters.
“It’s a true blessing,” McDaniel said. With an increased post presence, “you can do a lot of different things. You can mix up a lot of stuff and rotate a lot of stuff when you can count on a lot of different people.”
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