LYNDHURST, Ohio — Brush High School's girls' basketball team has been on a roll, and in their success this season they have made school history as they head to the Ohio High School Athletic Association final four.
The Arcs have never made it this far before. This is history in the making for the group.
"We're in the final four," said sophomore Tatiana Mason. "Really just made history, and when we get a state ring, we're going to be the first to ever do it in Brush High School."
The Arcs have big goals. They've had them all season long, and they show up on the court each game.
"Sheer competitiveness. These are a group of young ladies who go hard from first quarter to fourth quarter," said Brush High School Principal Marinise Harris.
The girls are 24-2. They protected their home court, going 11-0 at home this year. Their two losses came at the start of the season and the Arcs are riding a 22-game winning streak as they gear up for their playoff matchup with Avon Lake in the final four on Sunday.
All season long the Arcs have rallied around playing as a team, but one player in particular has been a standout for Brush—and is being recognized for her efforts.
Tatiana Mason has been named a finalist for the Ms. Ohio Basketball award, one of eight girls up for the prestigious honor. She's the only sophomore up for the award. In the regular season, Tatiana averaged 19.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 3.0 steals, which helped her team get to the semifinals for the first time in program history.
"She's been working for the strength and the skills to be Ms. Ohio Basketball," said Brush freshman guard Nylah Mason, Tatiana's sister.
The nod was something Tatiana was humbled by but that also inspires her to keep working hard as she and her team eye a state championship.
"When I heard it, I was just like, 'I'm the only sophomore running up against girls older than me,' so for me to be up there it was just like 'I gotta keep working,'" Tatiana said.
Her teammates, her family and her school all share pride for her nomination.
"One of the things about Tati, she is the standard, so I appreciate and I'm honored and privileged to say that I'm the principal where Tatiana Mason goes to school," Harris said.
That pride extends to the entire Arcs team, a team that plans to leave it all on the court down the stretch of the OHSAA tournament.
"You don't want to go home either, so we just all got that mindset of 'We're not going home,'" Tatiana said.
"Play hard, play together and just bring a ring back for Cleveland," Nylah vowed.
The Mason sisters have been working together and have helped their team stay on a winning streak this season.
