By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
On X @GDsullysays
The Mainland Regional High girls basketball program enjoyed a generational talent a few years ago when the Mustangs boasted one of the top prep players in the country in Kylee Watson. She helped the Stangs win the first state championship in program history in 2019 before heading off to the University of Oregon, and currently she’s a standout player at Notre Dame.
Losing a player like that — a 6-foot-4 guard/forward combo who finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer with more than 2,000 points — to graduation would crush a lot of programs, but Mainland coach Scott Betson had the good fortune of ushering in an outstanding class of freshmen the following year.
Four of those players blossomed into future college recruits, including point guard Kasey Bretones and forward Sydney Stokes. The class was headlined, however, by a pair of dynamic twins — Ava and Bella Mazur — who helped take the standard of winning that Watson set a step further.
The Mazur twins, younger sisters of former Mainland standout Luke Mazur, put up some eye-popping numbers, even with a freshman year that was cut short due to the Covid-19 pandemic. They led the Mustangs to 97 wins in four years against just nine losses, won three straight Cape-Atlantic League Tournament titles, a pair of South Jersey Group 3 sectional championships and finished off their careers by capturing the second overall state championship in program history.
“We were excited about that whole class when they came in. That was the covid year, so we didn’t really get a chance to compete for much. But they were tenacious competitors and really eager to play,” Betson recalls. “I don’t think at that point I was doing the projections out that far (as to what they would become). I was just kind of thinking about their sophomore year, Camryn (Dirkes) and Kaitlyn (Boggs) were seniors and they were perfect examples for them to look at as younger players in terms of what we want the program to be. And that year, we ended up making it to the state final. From there they kind of realized how much talent and ability they had.
“A lot of people use the word relentless about the two of them,” he continued. “They just never stop. They attack you on offense and really come at you with their defense. They found a way to be really complementary players to one another. Ava was kind of celebrated as more of a shooter and Bella was more of an attacker. They just play so much basketball. They love it and are playing non-stop.”
Mainland had perhaps its greatest season in history this past winter as the Mustangs went 31-1, won the CAL championship and South Jersey Group 3 titles with relative ease, scored a heart-thumping 45-43 win over Ewing in the Group 3 semifinals, then took down Chatham, 59-51, to win the state championship.
“Coming into high school, Bella and I, Sydney and Kasey, we all knew we were following Kylee Watson and Cameron Dirkes, players like them, and our dream was to win a state championship, too. We knew we were capable of doing it, but actually doing it meant a lot. To have the success we had as a team was amazing,” Ava said. “We were pretty confident. All four of us have been playing basketball with each other since third grade. Our bond off the court really helped on the court. And we worked so hard. I feel like we just dreamed it into a reality. Confidence helps, and having a coach like Betson helps. He always taught us to remain humble and just work every day. He always reminded us that our season could be over anytime (in the playoffs). He warned the younger girls that it was going to be a long December, a long winter, and that it would be a grind — but that we would love it. We would play music at practice, different days we’d have different themes, but we’d make it competitive, too.”
“Not a lot of people know when their last game is, and it’s usually a heartbreak. It was just so special to know that we were going to be together on the court one last time. We knew it was our last game with everyone. It felt really nice to top it off with the state championship we’ve been working so hard for these last four years at Mainland,” Bella added. “I’m so proud of my teammates, and coach Betson has pushed us so hard. He’s always told us we can do it but he also taught us to remain humble and never get ahead of ourselves. He always said we’re going to focus on this game, then when this game is over we’ll flip the page and get ready for the next game. That’s just how it went every winter, and it worked out well for us.”
The Mazurs played basketball with a confidence and edge that is rarely seen at the high school level. Only 5-foot-7, they seemed to play much bigger than that, mixing it up with taller girls for rebounds, getting after it on defense, running the fast break. There wasn’t much that the two of them couldn’t do. During their senior years, Bella scored 445 points, Ava 396; Ava had 173 rebounds, Bella 83; Ava 97 assists, Bella 61; and Bella had five more steals, 75-70, than Ava. And each scored more than 1,000 points during their careers.
“They are really strong rebounders, which is surprising for their size, and for their defensive matchups because often they were guarding somebody out on the perimeter. But they had games when each of them had eight or 10 rebounds. Most people see their scoring, but when you take a deeper look at the stats, they can really rebound the ball,” Betson said. “That class, for a public school, is pretty unique. To have four players in the same group going on to play pretty high level college basketball — they love playing basketball and they got after it. It was fun to watch.”
“One of my favorite things about this team is that you never knew who was going to have a great night. Whoever it was, we knew we were going to get that person the ball,” Bella said. “If I wasn’t on, Ava always told me to keep shooting. We always picked each other up and trusted each other, and that’s what was so special.”
That relentless quality they both possess, they said, comes from growing up trying to beat their older brother all the time.
“Playing against Luke growing up, he was so competitive and rough with us but that just made us who we are today. We would play one vs. two and whoever cried, lost,” Bella said. “And Luke didn’t care if we cried, but that’s what made our bond so special with our family. They pushed us, but Luke and our parents were always there for us.”
Added Betson, “they had an expectation that they were better than everyone they played. It’s one thing to say that, but they also felt they had to play that way. They truly expected to win every time they played.”
So, what’s different about the twins? Not a lot, really.
“When you get to really know us, our personalities are pretty similar. But I think there’s a couple of things where you can point out where it’s like, ‘OK, yeah, that’s Ava, that’s how she acts.’ Bella has certain things that she does that people know. We were in every class together, so people didn’t really call us by our first names. Everyone just says ‘twins’ or ‘Mazur twins.’ If Bella and I were to switch our seats the teachers would probably have no idea,” said Ava, who, along with Bella, committed to play college basketball at West Chester University in Pennsylvania. “I don’t really know my life outside of having a twin. I can’t imagine my life without her. That’s why for college we knew that we wanted to go together because our whole life we were known as the twins, and I feel like it would be so out of the ordinary to go to a college and people would not know you as having a twin. That being said, we’re confident in ourselves and that we have different personalities and can be our own person.”
“A lot of people tell us apart by our voices or our laughs. They’re definitely different, but everything else is really similar. It’s hard to even point out a difference on our faces,” Bella said. “Just having her by my side through everything. I just can’t imagine not having her right there whenever I need something, whether it’s for school, studying with someone — literally I can just turn over and she’s right there and I can ask her a question or if I need help, she’s right there. We just understand each other and I think that’s so important. Not everyone has that bond and it’s really special to me.”
Betson said sometimes people see how intense the twins are on the court and assume they are the same way off the court.
“It’s like it’s like night and day, comparing the way they are on and off the court. On the court, I’m glad they played for me. They must be an absolute menace to have to play or coach against. But then they could flip a switch and after the game they’d be the ones in charge of my 2-year-old or babysit people’s kids,” he said. “On the court they flip that competitive switch, but off the court they are sweethearts. They are such likable kids and have had such an impact on me and my family. I’ll miss them not being around. They’re just so well-rounded. They are great to have in class, good students. I think if you only ever got a snapshot of them on a basketball court, you might think that they are totally different than they really are.”
Soon, the twins will embark on their college basketball careers and no doubt will make a name for themselves at West Chester. Packed into their suitcases will no doubt be a host of memories made while wearing the Kelly green of Mainland, particularly the thought of how they ended their high school careers — as champions.
“It’s really a surreal feeling. I remember I got a memory (on my phone) of Bella and I and a couple of our teammates going to watch Kylee and that team that won the state championship in 2019. And it it’s so surreal that literally it was five years ago to the day that we won the state championship ourselves,” Ava said. “We just knew that after the upset last year against Ocean City (in the sectional final) that we were going to be so hungry (in 2024). We thought about that loss every day and we worked hard until we won the state championship.”
“The last couple minutes,” Bella remembers, “I actually fouled out and it was getting a little tight and my emotions were literally through the roof. I was shaking on the bench. I don’t even know what was going through my head. I was freaking out because it was getting close, but I had trust in my in my twin sister and my best friends who were on the court. I trusted Reilly Nagle coming in as a freshman to step up and she did great out there. We got the win and that’s all that matters.”
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com
