By Jim Irish
When Cedar Creek’s Kenji Franklin reached 997 career points against Austin Travis, head coach Valentino Maxwell called a three-point set play.
Franklin, a 6-foot-5 junior, sank the 3-pointer in the second quarter and reached the 1,000-point club.
Cedar Creek then called a timeout and handed Franklin a poster, acknowledging his milestone. He finished the contest with 1,004 points.
Franklin achieved a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds in the Eagles’ 77-43 non-district blowout at home on Friday.
"(The team) still has some work to do. Turnovers were a big problem tonight."
-- Cedar Creek coach Valentino Maxwell
But Maxwell said the team “still has some work to do” before the District 23-5A opener at Hendrickson on Thursday. He wasn’t thrilled with nine turnovers in the first half (16 total).
“Turnovers were a big problem tonight,” he said. “The focus needs to be there. I got on the guys, just being careless with the ball.”
Maxwell said the team had “come off its best game” with only one turnover in a victory over Cedar Park.
On the positive side, Cedar Creek connected on 54% from the field, including 39% from long range.
Robert Conrad, a 5-10 senior point guard, scored the team’s first eight points on two 3-pointers and a layup. Conrad finished with a game-high 27 points, including two breakaway dunks.
“I think it was a good way to get our offense going into Hendrickson,” said Conrad, who boasts a 36-inch vertical leap. "It’s is a big opener for us. Winning it will set the tone for district.”
Travis (3-10) hit 40% from the field and were only 13% (1-of-8) from long range. The Hawks also committed 24 turnovers with just one assist.
"Coach Maxwell has got 'em rolling."
-- Austin Travis coach Frank Crayton
Cedar Creek had 15 steals, many of which were converted to points.
“Coach Maxwell has got ‘em rolling,” Travis coach Frank Clayton said.
Reginald Devore, a 5-8 sophomore, led Travis with 19 points on 8-of-13 from the field, primarily on drives to the basket.
Maxwell was pleased with the half-court trap defense.
“We’ve been working on it,” he said. “We can call upon it to speed up the game. We think we have the athletes to make plays.”
Maxwell said Hendrickson (10-6) has been “winning, just like us. They are returning a good number of starters. They play really hard.”
Jim Irish is a freelance writer in Bastrop, Texas
Commentaires