Kaneland shakes off slow start, beats Hinckley-Big Rock
The game came to Isaiah Gipson on Thursday evening at Plano.
The Kaneland sophomore was one of four Knights scoring in double figures as the Knights pulled away from Hinckley-Big Rock in a quarterfinal game, 58-43, in the 60th annual Plano Christmas Classic.
The top-seeded Knights (11-3) will face Streator in a 7 p.m. Friday semifinal.
“I just used to force everything, but I talked to my older brother and all my older brother’s friends who played in college and they said to let the game come to me,” Gipson said. “That’s what I’ve been trying to do. I’ve been working with coach to minus my mistakes and been trying to get better, and just finally showed up to play.”
Gipson scored 13 points and also had four rebounds, four steals and a pair of assists while also defending. His momentum even carried him four rows up in the bleachers after one possession, despite the Knights comfortably leading 54-41 with 2:13 left to play.
“I just like playing explosive,” he said. “I want to get up the floor to try to help my teammates as much as I can. I want to make sure I hit open shots and and move without the ball and know when to attack.”
Leading 29-25 at halftime, the Knights came out on a 13-2 run. They’d use it to break the game open at 42-27 with 3:53 left in the third quarter after senior Brad Franck’s three-pointer.
“We stayed calm and kept chipping away and found a way to win,” Franck said. “After back-to-back losses and then getting the number one seed we’ve got a target on our back and every team going for us. We just find a way to win and keep going.”
Despite their strong record, the Knights are still a young squad. Franck was one of just two seniors to play for the Knights with Troyer Carlson scoring four points and Parker Violett sidelined with an injury.
Franck liked what he saw from his sophomore teammate, one of three sophomores to play for the Knights.
“He’s great,” he said. “There’s a new vibe with what Kaneland is kind of used to. He can score at ease, it’s nice.”
Freddy Hassan led the Knights with 15 points, nine rebounds and five blocks. Evan Frieders and Franck also had 11 points each.
Frieders utilized his length, extending for a left-handed lay-in at the end of the third quarter for a 46-31 lead.
Three-pointers from Justin Wentzlaff and Tyler Smith were part of a first quarter run that helped the Royals build a 19-10 lead.
“They are a good team with a a couple good shooters, and that (Martin) Ledbetter is a monster,” Knights coach Ernie Colombe said. “That’s a big kid.”
The Royals (9-5) would lead by as much as 22-10. Coincidentally, they’d commit 21 turnovers to Kaneland’s 10.
“It wasn’t like we were going to maintain that lead and expand it to 24, but you like those because it gives you cushions for those tough spells,” Hinckley Big-Rock coach Seth Sanderson said. “We just let that down spell last too long. I thought we played with confidence. Sometimes you get into a bigger opponent, the winners bracket and things get a little bit too big, but starting well was encouraging.”
Ledbetter led the Royals with 19 points and 14 rebounds. Smith added 9 points.