Mystics claim victory over Chargers 92-73

(Halifax, NS) The Mount Saint Vincent Mystics defeated the Crandall Chargers 92-73 in the second game of the weekend double-header Sunday afternoon at the A. Garnet Brown Memorial Gymnasium. 

Chase Tynes (Loon Lake, NS) had an all-around performance for the Mystics. He finished the game with 19 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. He also chipped in with 8 assists and 4 blocks. Nate Titus (Stouffville, ON) and Anthony Lecky (Sydney River, NS) stepped up off the bench as they finished with 20 points and 16 points, respectively. 

Ethan Culberson (Hartland, MB) led the way for the Chargers, finishing with a team-high 17 points, 5 assists and 4 rebounds. Luca Del Bosco (Montreal, QC) contributed with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Rounding the offence for the Chargers was Colby McIntosh (Florenceville, NB) as he ended up with 13 points and 4 rebounds. 

The Chargers struck first as McIntosh would connect on consecutive three pointers to give the visitors an early 6-2 lead. The Mystics would respond as Ben Kearney (New Waterford, NS) stole the ball and it led to a Tynes basket off his own offensive rebound. A few plays later, Tynes would crash the defensive glass and it would lead to an Isaiah Cromwell-Wright (Dartmouth, NS) basket in transition. With the game tied at 9-9, Titus would connect from range to give the home team a narrow lead. As both teams would be locked in defensively, it would open up at the end of the quarter when Lecky would connect on a corner three to give the Mystics a 22-17 lead at the break. 

Lecky would connect from almost the same stop early in the quarter to extend the Mystics' lead. The Mystics would continue to get production from their bench as Justin Grant (Caledon, ON) would hustle as the ball heading out of bounds. He would save the ball from going out of bounds, and simultaneously passing it to Titus for the driving layup. The Chargers would respond as Del Bosco would have two consecutive finishes while Dave Hutton (Montreal, QC) would cut the Mystics' lead to 4 with a mid range jumper. Titus would continue to spark the Mystics' offense as he would connect from wing from range and he would later drive to the basket to extend their lead to 41-36. Tynes would continue to attack the basket strongly as he would receive the Cromwell-Wright transition pass to finish with a dazzling euro step at the rim to give the Mystics a 43-36 lead. The Chargers would continue to chip away at the Mystics' lead as Charles McKenna (Halifax, NS) would crash the offensive glass and finish with a layup to cut the Mystics' lead to 45-42 at halftime. 

As the second half begun, the Mystics looked to extend their lead, and they used their transition offence to highlight their surge. First, Adam Callaghan (Sydney, NS) would take the ball strong to the hoop as he would score off the Cromwell-Wright assist. Next, Tynes would crash strong of the defensive glass, and took his own rebound, coast to coast as he would finish in traffic. Then, Kearney would finish strong over the defender off another Cromwell-Wright assist to give the Mystics a 53-44 lead. The Chargers would respond as Caleb Rennie (Ajax, ON) would attack the hoop strongly as he would finish with an and-1 finish to cut the lead to 53-47 for the Mystics. The momentum would shift back to the Mystics after Titus would continue on two more threes in the quarter to give the 64-52 lead. A few plays later, Tynes would knock down another from range to increase their lead to 67-53. Going into the third quarter break, the Mystics led 68-55. 

Entering the fourth quarter, the Mystics would be looking to extend their lead. Tynes would be a vital factor for the Mystics as he acted as the distributor on offence. First, he would locate Titus for the three pointer. Next, he would find Lecky for the transition layup. Finally, he would connect with Callaghan as he knocked down a three pointer. As the Mystics looked to close out the Chargers, they would continue to get offensive production from Callaghan as he would connect from the top of the arc as Keigan Feron (Bedford, NS) would find him after crashing the offensive glass. Callaghan would return the favour, as he would find Feron in transition as he would finish strong at the basket. The Mystics would claim the victory by a 92-73 margin. 

The Mystics return to the court next Saturday January 30th when they face their cross-town rival UKC Blue Devils. Tip off is at 6:00pm. The Chargers host the St. Thomas Tommies on Saturday, January 30th in Moncton. Tip off is at 6:00pm.