By Jim Irish
Photos by Dustyn Werner
Cedar Creek’s big three put the big hurt on Bastrop.
Robert Conrad and Kenji Franklin scored 24 and 19 points, respectively, while Micah McDonald added 10 in a crosstown rivalry romp 80-46 at Cedar Creek on Wednesday.
"We know Bastrop hasn't played well, but they always get up."
-- Cedar Creek coach Valentino Maxwell
”We know Bastrop hasn’t played well, but they always get up,” Cedar Creek coach Valentino Maxwell said. “I thought, for the most part, we played really well on offense.”
Bastrop threw a 2-3 zone at Cedar Creek in an effort to hinder Franklin, a 6-foot-5 junior. But he still scored inside with two and three Bears collapsing on him. Franklin achieved a double-double with 11 rebounds.
”We moved him around, up top, down low,” Maxwell said. “We tend to put him down (low) when there’s less size. Kenji’ s a problem for teams.”
Meanwhile, Conrad, a 5-10 senior averaging more than 20 points a game in District 23-5A, proved unstoppable inside and outside.
Cedar Creek (18-8 overall, 3-3 in district) rolled to a 50-25 halftime advantage.
Because of mismatches, Bastrop (4-17, 0-6) was forced to foul Franklin, who converted 6-of-7 free throws in the first half.
Cedar Creek’s substitutes played most of the second half.
Bastrop had no one in double figures.
"We want to take care of Pflugerville. Win in a decisive fashion would be nice."
-- Maxwell
The Eagles will visit Pflugerville (2-4 in district) in the final game of the first round on Friday. They currently reside in a tie for fourth place with Elgin.
“We want to take care of Pflugerville,” Maxwell said. “Win in a decisive fashion would be nice.”
Cedar Creek lost district games on the road against the top three teams — Hendrickson, Connally, and Georgetown in the first round.
”Our defense hasn’t been where it needs to be, to be a high-level team,” Maxwell said. “We still got some work to do.”
Maxwell said junior Phineas Koplin is no longer on the squad.
Jim Irish is a freelance writer in Bastrop, Texas
Comentarios