It’s the light at the end of the tunnel that draws folks to go for something good. That feeling that you can walk through the dark and still see success ahead. The Mansfield Tigers basketball team has been charging toward that light all season. Although it may have seemed like they would take one step forward, then two steps back, they continued to pursue the light. On Monday, February 2nd, that perseverance to endeavor attitude of the Tigers paid off as they stunned Charleston with a last second 61-59 victory.

Mansfield entered the game sitting towards the bottom of the 3A-4 while Charleston was a solid team looking to take another step towards the top of the conference. So naturally, the nod would initially lean towards the black and white Tigers being favored. Charleston won the jump ball and immediately dropped in four points before the Tigers could even tie their shoelaces. A pair of turnovers and missed rebound opportunities didn’t help matters any for Mansfield, but the Tigers weathered the early storm and got down to the five minute mark only down 4-0. Finally, Mansfield was able to get some momentum after multiple missed three-point attempts by Charleston as Hunter Whittaker pulled off a pivot, pump, pivot, shoot swish to put the Tigers on the board. Andrew Burton then sliced through Charleston’s defense for an easy layup to tie the game up with an early 4-4 score.

Charleston popped back ahead with an offensive rebound and put back to go up by two again. But Hunter Whittaker again made moves like Michael Jackson to put in a fade away shot for Mansfield. The score seemed to bounce more than the basketball as both Mansfield and Charleston continued to exchange points in what could’ve been an auctioneer’s dream game. “Charleston up 6-4, do i hear Mansfield for 6-6, yes, Mansfield ties 6-6. Can I get a Charleston 8-6, 8-6 Charleston thank you. Score of 8-6 to Mansfield, can I get an 8-8….8-8….score, 8-8 to tie”. The early auction bantering on the scoreboard ceased with a time out by Mansfield as both teams looked to buy big points instead of just matching each other. But matching each other is what the first quarter was all about as both Tiger teams ended the first quarter with a 10-10 tie on the scoreboard.

The first points of the second quarter came from Ethan Martin who knocked down one of two free throws to give Mansfield an 11-10 lead. Charleston came right back though and scored on back-to-back possessions to retake the lead, 14-11. But Hunter Whittaker again proved he can twist his way through any defense and pulled the Tigers back within one point with a layup. But turnovers and open lanes gave Charleston another pair of buckets to open the game up for the black and white Tigers. Joseph Carter put up his first points of the game to get the Tigers back within three, but it wasn’t enough as Charleston was just warming up. The black and white Tigers continued their run to stretch their lead up to 26-11. Carter again broke Charleston’s run with another board bucket as time wound down under a minute left in the first half. Drake Brunson drew down and hit the bullseye on a three-pointer cutting Charleston’s lead to five points, but that’s as close as Mansfield would get as the Tigers went into halftime down 26-21.

Charleston came out of the half with the same kind of energy as in the first half, while the Tigers couldn’t find a stop or a shot on either end of the court. Back down in double digits again, Mansfield needed players to step up and step up big time. Joseph Carter was first on deck to try and bring the Tigers back into contention by swishing a pair of free throws. Then Silas Burton dished in a mid-air putback to bring Mansfield back within six points of Charleston. Hunter Whittaker put his name in the step-up hat with a driving layup, but a foul nullified the bucket. No matter, though, Jubal Parks scorched the net with a three-pointer right after that to slash Charleston’s lead to 31-28.

But wait, there’s more! Drake Brunson zipped a three-pointer through the net to tie the game on the Tigers’ very next possession. Joseph Carter then scored on a rebound and put back to give the Tigers the lead again. It wasn’t just an individual player who was stepping up for the Tigers in the third quarter; it was the whole team. Now with a 33-31 lead over Charleston, all Mansfield had to do was maintain their poise and momentum. Joseph Carter again shone with a steal and was fouled on his way to the basket. Carter nailed both of his free throws to extend Mansfield’s lead to 35-31.

Charleston finally stopped the Tigers’ run right at the three-minute mark with a basket, but Mansfield picked the pace right back up with a Joseph Carter hook reverse layup. A Charleston three-pointer brought Mansfield’s lead down to a mere point as Charleston called a timeout with the score at 37-36 in Mansfield’s favor with 2:27 left in the third quarter. Charleston did regain the lead soon after, but Drake Brunson soared another three-pointer into the basket from downtown to take the lead back. The final second of the third quarter was back and forth, forth and back, every which way imaginable until the buzzer sounded with Charleston leading 45-42.

Both Mansfield and Charleston didn’t just want to win this game; they needed to win it. That need took the spotlight in the fourth quarter too as both teams poured every ounce of effort onto the court. Charleston struck first to extend their lead to 47-42, but Andrew Burton pulled out of the paint to hit a three-point shot to bring the game within two points. That three-pointer was short lived though as Charleston fired back with a shot beyond the arc to stretch out to a five-point lead. Hunter Whittaker and Joseph Carter teamed up to close the gap back to a single point with a 50-49 score and 4:43 remaining in the game. A few scores later, Jubal Parks succeeded on a free throw attempt to tie the game up at 52 all. Tie game. Under three minutes on the clock.

Everything, absolutely everything was on the line and that is where the game went from good to great. Silas Burton scored on a put back, but Charleston hit a three to take the lead back, 55-54. Hunter Whittaker was fouled with 2:15 left and hit one of his two shots to tie the game again at 55-55. Charleston retook the lead, but Hunter Whittaker tied the game up again, 57-57. With under a minute left in the game, Mansfield had to play mistake free. Jubal Parks was able to find a seam in Charleston’s defense for an easy layup, but Charleston took a layup of their own to put the score at 59-59 with only 0:22 seconds remaining in the game. With the ball on Mansfield’s side of the court, Coach Brown called a timeout to set up the perfect game winning shot. Once play resumed, Hunter Whittaker went straight for the basket but missed the layup. Even though Whittaker missed the layup, he came out ahead by catching a Charleston foul along the way. The clock read 0:05 and the score showed 59-59. Whittaker took shot one and made shot one. He took shot two and sank shot two. And that ladies and gentlemen is even more proof that free throws win games as the Tigers defeated Charleston with a 61-59 final.

The Tigers’ celebration will be short-lived though as they travel to Lamar on Tuesday, February 3rd, to take on the Lamar Warriors. Lamar is ranked third in the 3A-4 and comes into the game with a 17-6 overall record. The last time the Tigers and Warriors met, Lamar walked away with a 65-44 victory over Mansfield. But to be fair, Charleston beat the Tigers the first time they played them too. The Tigers are getting hot at the right time of the season, and an upset of Lamar wouldn’t be so far-fetched.