Ten Best: Frankton vs. Crawford County
From the jump, this game got out of hand quickly for Crawford County as they struggled against the pressure defense of Frankton. Frankton had been in this spot just two years before and fell to Park Tudor. Today, they weren’t…
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Continue ReadingFrom the jump, this game got out of hand quickly for Crawford County as they struggled against the pressure defense of Frankton. Frankton had been in this spot just two years before and fell to Park Tudor. Today, they weren’t going to lose and looked dominant from start to finish, winning the 2A State Championship 60-32 over Crawford County.
MVP: Maurice Knight (Frankton)
After going scoreless in the first quarter, Knight scored 22 points in the next two quarters before finishing with 23 points. He was stellar in this game and his length and athleticism were really hard to stop. Crawford County didn’t have anyone that could guard him one-on-one or even on doubles. Maurice took over in the middle of the game and it made it a blowout.
Play of the Game: Maurice Knight (Frankton)
In the second quarter of the game, Frankton was already controlling the game pretty well but the cherry on top was when Frankton missed a layup but Maurice Knight ran down the middle of the lane and was able to grab the ball and throw it down for a pretty impressive tip-dunk. Everything was going Frankton’s way at that point.
Best Offensive Performance: Maurice Knight (Frankton)
Knight was easily the most impressive player in this game. He scored 23 points on 9/17 shooting to go along with four rebounds. He was the leader on both ends of the floor for Frankton and there was not doubt that he wasn’t going to get going after a slow start in the first quarter.
Best Defensive Performance: Landon Weins (Frankton)
The best player on the defensive end was Landon Weins. The 6’2 junior seemed to be in the middle of everything on the defensive end and he was good on both ends of the floor as well. Landon finished with 6 points, 2 assists, and 5 steals. It was more of Frankton’s defense that won them the game than anything else.
Best Guy Off The Bench: Patrick Spillman (Frankton)
There wasn’t a ton of bench help from either team but Spillman gave great minutes for Frankton. He was a rotation guy that continued to put together a great defensive effort from Frankton. Spillman finished with 6 points, 3 rebound, and 4 assists. It was this balance that you saw across the stat sheet from Frankton.
Best Intangibles: Kayden Key (Frankton)
The standout sophomore was another big piece to this puzzle. He scored 8 points, 3 assists, and had 4 steals. He has been a big part of the team and a smaller role as well. He’s found his fit and played to what his team needed him to. Key was just great in this one giving Frankton another player who contributed in every statistical category.
Best Under-The-Radar Performance: Tyrell Nickelson (Crawford County)
Crawford County struggled quite a bit against Frankton’s pressure but Nickelson found his game early it just wasn’t enough. The senior guard finished with 14 points on 4/7 shooting to go along with 4 rebounds. He looked great early on hitting a pair of triples in this one and a big down the lane dunk.
Best Underclassmen: Rylan Detling (Frankton)
Detling is a 6’7 power forward who has a great frame that has yet to fill out. He’s really skilled though and has a ton of room to improve while still being a guy right now that can contribute as a low post scorer that can step out a bit. He’s got a long way to his ceiling and you only saw bits and pieces of his game today.
Best Player We Didn’t Talk About: Brent Smith (Crawford County)
While things obviously didn’t go Crawford County’s way, Smith was able to make some plays late in the game. He had a great season and you saw spurts of what made him a great player in this game it was just Frankton’s defense that would have made nearly any team they played look out of whack. Smith, though, finished with 6 points and 6 rebounds.
Best Thing We Learned This Season: The biggest thing I learned this season was that the beginning of the year can be filled with struggles but you can still make your way to the State Championship game. Frankton didn’t start off the year great but they found themselves just after Christmas Break and went on a run. They were really tough down the stretch and you saw that throughout the tournament. So long as you figure out what works before the tournament starts, you have a shot to win a State Title.