MADISON TOWNSHIP — Mansfield High basketball coach and alumnus Marquis Sykes has never said three words in his life — thank you, Lexington.
He plans to surrender his pride after a chaotic Ohio Cardinal Conference series Friday night. After Sykes’ Tigers defeated rival Madison 69-61, attention turned to Lexington’s home game against Ashland and Dover’s game against New Philadelphia. The Tigers captured the Ohio Cardinal League championship for the first time since the 2018-19 season after Lakers defeated Ashland and New Philadelphia defeated Dover.
advertise
Classic time: Details of 47th Newsmagazine All-Star Classic Charity Basketball Game confirmed
The Tigers will share the 2025-26 championship with Ashland, Dover and New Philadelphia, as the title must be split four-way with a 10-4 conference record.
Did Sikes ever say these words?
“No, never,” said Sikes, laughing. “But I thought I’d hit (Lexington coach Scott Hamilton) Hammy and tell him I appreciated his help.”
The Tigers were close to crosstown rival Madison through three quarters and led 47-44 entering the fourth quarter. That’s when veteran DJ Corbin took over. He scored 10 of his 12 points in the final frame to help the Tigers lead 22-17 in the fourth quarter and seal an eight-point victory.
advertise
Not long ago, Corbin’s third foul on a 50-50 ball sent the high school crowd into a frenzy. Rather than let a third-quarter foul keep him on the bench, Corbin rallied and made a clutch play.
“In the third quarter, I faced some personal adversity with a foul,” Corbin said. “Instead of pouting and shaking off the situation, I faced the adversity and played harder in the fourth quarter. I’ve been through adversity my entire career and the key is not to let it disrupt the rest of the game. There’s still a lot of games to go and my team needs me.”
Corbin and senior DeVontae Johnson scored 12 points each and combined for 16 points in the fourth quarter, including only one field goal.
“He was the glue,” Sykes said. “He brings this team together. We have an emotional group and they tend to get bogged down at times, but he and DeVonta keep everyone together and in the right spots to control their emotions. We needed it in the fourth quarter and DJ showed a lot of senior leadership. We need everything he gives us.”
Mansfield senior DJ Corbin helped the Tigers return to semifinal contention in the Ohio Cardinal League men’s basketball tournament with a 69-61 victory over Madison.
Kaylen Brooks led the Tigers with 23 points, Davion Mack scored 13 points, Andrew Brooks Jr. scored 6 points and Sammie Likely IV scored 3 points.
advertise
Madison saw a stellar performance from Justin McCraney, who scored 33 points, while Caleb Gordon and Deonte McDaniel each scored eight points. The Rams led by three points twice in the fourth quarter, but the Tigers closed the game on a 14-5 run to take the victory. McCraney also had 10 rebounds for a double-double.
“These guys have been great for a long time, six wins in eight games and then some wins and losses, but we think Mansfield is a great team with a chance to go deep into the tournament and our guys showed they can compete with them,” Madison head coach David Heap said. “I’m very proud. Losing sucks and it’s never acceptable, but I couldn’t ask them to play any harder. There’s nothing to bow to.”
The Rams committed 21 turnovers but ran the ball better in the second half against the Tigers’ increased pressure.
“Our goal is to limit turnovers to eight to 10,” Shipp said. “I think we’re pretty close. That’s a credit to our JV guys who helped prepare us for that pressure by playing 8v5 with us. Those guys did a great job.”
advertise
The Rams are now 7-12 on the season, their highest win total in the past three seasons. Shipp has seen great improvement in his second year in the program.
“Guys like Justin McCraney, Caleb Gordon and Tyler Medley are laying the foundation with how hard they work,” Shipp said. “McRaney was unstoppable, Gordon handled the pressure, Medley ran all over the floor and got us huge blocks. Stuff like that is the building block of the pile.”
The Tigers finished the regular season with a 15-7 record and were the only boys basketball team in Richland County to win a conference title.
“It feels great,” Corbin said. “As much as we feel like we should have beaten the teams we’ve lost to all season long, we’re proud of the OCC championship. We got some help from New Philadelphia and Lexington.”
advertise
The league title ended a six-season drought and it didn’t matter to Sykes whether he had to share the title with three other teams.
“We’ll take it,” Sykes said. “It’s been a while since we’ve been able to say we’re tied or champions, whatever you want to call it, we’re going to take it. I’m really excited for our guys because it’s going to give us a big boost heading into the game. Their confidence should be high.”
jfurr@usatodayco.com
740-244-9934
X: @JakeFurr11
This article originally appeared in the Mansfield News-Journal: Mansfield Senior Tigers defeat Madison Rams for OCC title
