Mead senior Tucker Mills continued to make a strong case for the 5A classification’s player of the year Friday night.

Though, maybe Silver Creek’s Zach Schmeeckle deserves some consideration of his own.

Mills scored 23 points and the No. 4 Mavericks withstood a career-high 31 from the Raptors’ first-year varsity player, winning 83-70 to sweep the two-game season series.

“He’s fearless, man,” Mills said of Schmeeckle. “He just gets buckets and is not afraid to shoot it.”

On the road, Mead played to the tune of a fed-up spouse, threatening to run away with things for good throughout the night.

And though Schmeeckle kept things at an arm’s length with a series of runs of his own, the Mavericks never trailed in winning their fifth straight.

Mills led the way. He said he finally felt back to his normal self after he recently returned from an injury.

Dominic McLawrence added 16 points, including a two-handed dunk in the final minutes that finally iced things. Matthew Angelo had 12 and Nick Basson added eight of his 10 points as part of a dominating opening quarter.

“We still have a lot to improve on, and we all think that,” McLawrence said. “We plays as a team. We’re ready. No letdown. We play to the buzzer.”

The Mavericks (16-3, 8-2 6A/5A/4A NCAC) built a 17-point lead in the opening half on the back of a harassing defensive effort, and a lot of Mills and Basson brilliance.

Basson, known on the court for an energy on overdrive, hollered and pumped his arms intensely after sinking a pair of 3s, which spurred a 9-0 run in the first quarter.

Mills (averaging 19.1 points per game) began the second — where a total of 52 points were scored — with a 12-foot fadeaway while taking contact. He completed the three-point play to push the lead into double digits.

“He’s really brought us together as a team,” McLawrence said of Mills this season. “He’s been that guy to keep everyone’s heads up. He is always there.”

Mead’s advantage swelled to 31-14 with 5:14 left before the break before Silver Creek made a run.

Schmeeckle (19.5 ppg) had 10 points across the final minutes of the half, pulling the Raptors (12-7, 5-5) within eight at the break. Gabe Selby scored in its final seconds and opened the third with another bucket to get them within 44-38. Though, it got no closer.

Silver Creek’s loss came despite its most points by a player since Andrew Scott had 34 on Feb. 16, 2022.

Schmeeckle, when asked where he thinks he belongs in the discussion for top players in the class, said “I’m getting some respect.”

“Being a one-year varsity player, I didn’t get much attention the first couple years of high school,” he said. “But I think I’m getting my name out there.”

Mead is home against Centaurus Wednesday. Silver Creek is at Windsor.