Homecoming. The pageantry, the glam, and the pizazz of the red-carpet treatment of athletes. It is the peak of all that glitters in high school sports. At the end of the day though, it is the sport that allows homecoming even to exist. So, once the spotlights shut off and the scoreboard lights up, the Mansfield Tigers put aside their red ties and black suits to gear up for a knock-down drag-out game of basketball against the Booneville Bearcats.

Homecoming doesn’t equal an automatic victory for any team and Booneville ensured Mansfield understood that as the Bearcats jumped on the scoreboard first in the game. From there it was a three-minute defensive battle as neither team could buy a bucket to save their lives. Mansfield finally broke free at the 5:03 mark as Joseph Carter handed a sweet assist to Andrew Burton for a Tigers board bucket. That score heated up the Tigers and Mansfield began shooting on fire as Hunter Whittaker drained a three-pointer from way downtown to give Mansfield a 5-2 lead. Andrew Burton got another assist, this time from Daniel Burton, for another hard-fought score from the box. Whittaker again sank a three to shoot Mansfield’s lead to 10-3 forcing Booneville to call a timeout to try and cool off the Tigers. The plan was partially successful as Booneville came out with a quick three-pointer, but Samuel Burton added a layup of his own to keep Mansfield moving on the scoreboard. Daniel Burton and Samuel Burton were able to team up for four points towards the end of the quarter while the Bearcats gained five points to end the first quarter with the Tigers leading Booneville, 16-11.

Booneville struck first again in the second quarter with a long-range three-pointer to draw within two points of the Tigers. A pair of free throws allowed Booneville to tie the game 16-16. With their lead now gone, Mansfield mustered up some offense off of fouls by the Bearcats as Daniel Burton went one for two at the line while Andrew Burton drained both shots to give Mansfield a 19-16 lead. Daniel Burton made up for his missed shot soon after with a swishing three-pointer. The Tigers went on an 8-0 run with another set of free throws by Allison, but Booneville added a pair of free throws of their own. It didn’t matter though as Winston Allison was left wide open to drain another Mansfield Tiger three-pointer. Booneville hit another pair of free throws, but Daniel Burton drove the lane for a quick layup to negate the Bearcat’s points and add to the Tiger’s 29-22 lead. The Bearcats were content with Mansfield fouling and taking their free throws to stay in the game and hopefully put some Tigers in foul trouble for later on in the game. A three-pointer boosted Booneville to only being down 30-27, but Andrew Burton hit a smooth jump shot to bump the Tigers back up. Joseph Carter grabbed a defensive steal for the Tigers, but Mansfield couldn’t capitalize on the turnover. So, Carter did it again but again the Tigers could get points. Twice didn’t work, so Carter made his third steal in a row which led to free throw points for Samuel Burton. Those were the last points for the Tigers in the opening half as Mansfield walked into the locker room with a 33-27 lead over Booneville.  

A six-point lead isn’t much in any sport, let alone the fast-paced game of basketball leaving Mansfield with some ground to make up going into the third quarter. Daniel Burton started the score fest with a layup and added a plus one as he was fouled on the way up. Not to be outdone, Booneville took the length of the court to drop two points of their own. Back and forth the two teams went scoring bucket after bucket as Booneville rang up five points and Mansfield dropped seven in a matter of seconds to set the game at a 40-32 Tiger lead. The Bearcats took a perfect three-shot, but the ball played ring around the rosy on the rim before falling out. Daniel Burton tried the same shot at the other end of the court, but Burtons missed the rim completely and instead hit nothing but net. Booneville had a shot at getting back into gear with a layup and a bonus foul shot to boot but missed the free throw as the physical third quarter continued. Mansfield went on a six-point run forcing Booneville to call a time-out at 2:50. While the Tigers were up on the scoreboard, they found themselves leading in another area too. Fouls. Mansfield was battling hard with the Bearcats, but a little too hard for basketball rules as the Tigers had a five-to-one foul lock with Booneville with 1:46 left in the third quarter and a whole quarter yet to go. While leading in the foul department is a slight negative, the Tigers knew there was still a game to be played. The Tigers slightly backed off of the boards as Mansfield’s power post, Andrew Burton dropped in a short-range two-pointer to give Mansfield a 48-34 lead, but it was Booneville who shocked the court with a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the third quarter with 48-37 score in the Tigers favor.

The fourth and final quarter of play would compile into a rough-and-tumble basketball style that kept the fans on the edges of their seats as Mansfield and Booneville emptied their tanks to go for the win. The Bearcats flexed their muscles early with solid defense and a board bucket, but Hunter Whittaker got Mansfield on the board with a smooth sideways layup. Whittaker’s layup may have been a smooth one, but the Tiger’s overall physicality was far from smooth as they racked up three fouls after less than a minute and a half into the quarter. Joseph Carter and Hunter Whittaker showcased their hoop skills on both offense and defense with multiple steals and a layup each to keep the Tigers lead in double digits at 54-44. The Bearcats just wouldn’t lay down though and quickly closed the scoreboard game to 54-49 with just 2:51 left in the game. That’s why Mansfield senior, Winston Allison, stepped up big time showing that he wouldn’t have any part of a homecoming loss. Allison’s desire to earn the victory became extremely apparent when the ball got loose and began bouncing across the court. Allison battled for the ball and laid out on the floor to retrieve the ball for the Tigers. That kind of effort was exactly what the Tigers needed to close the game out as Mansfield rolled on to a 57-51 Tiger homecoming victory.