The Brush Lady Arcs turned a tight halftime battle into a commanding road victory on Tuesday night, using a dominant second half to defeat the Canton McKinley Bulldogs, 84–62, and improve to 2-0 under Coach Demarris Winters.
Brush outscored the home team 45–29 after the break, breaking open what had been a high-powered duel between two of Ohio's elite scorers: Brush's
Tatiana Mason and McKinley's Mya Taylor.
Mason delivered a spectacular 38-point performance, connecting on 10 field goals, including three from beyond the arc, while going 15-of-18 at the free-throw line. Taylor nearly matched her blow for blow, erupting for 40 points, fueled by 13 field goals and an impressive seven three-pointers. Their back-and-forth brilliance sent the teams into halftime with Brush clinging to a 39–33 edge.
The third quarter remained tight as both stars continued to shine, but the Lady Arcs began to separate thanks to superior balance. Nyla Mason poured in 13 of her 20 points in the middle 2 quarters, while Jakayln Brown added 9 of her 13 in the second half, giving Brush the lift McKinley simply couldn't match.
In the fourth,
Tatiana Mason took over once more, dropping 14 points and punishing McKinley at the line as the Bulldogs were forced into fouling. Brush's efficiency at the stripe proved decisive: the Arcs hit 21 of 30 free throws (70%), while McKinley managed just 14 of 23 (60%).
Taylor received limited support for the Bulldogs, as senior K'Lynn Carter finished with 7 points before fouling out, and typically reliable scorer Amiyah Chester was held to just 2 first-quarter points and none the rest of the night.
The victory was especially satisfying for Brush, coming inside Canton's historic Memorial Fieldhouse, the same building where last year's magical 24-3 season ended in a heartbreaking Final Four loss to Avon Lake.
Now 2-0, the Lady Arcs turn their attention to another major challenge: Olmsted Falls, this Saturday at 5:00 PM in the Cleveland Basketball Classic at Baldwin Wallace University. It's a rematch of last year's razor-thin 55–53 defeat — one of only three losses in the entire season — and a game Brush is eager to avenge.
