Knoch comeback bid falls short at Freeport
BUFFALO TWP — Exiting a timeout and readying to inbound the basketball with 16 seconds to go in a Section 1-4A boys basketball clash with Freeport Friday night, it appeared as if Knoch’s Keagan Fraser winked at the scorer’s table.
If it was the senior guard’s way of foreshadowing elation, he was almost right.
Fraser inbounded the ball, which ended up in teammate Ryan Lang’s grasp. After a pair of defenders collapsed on the Knights’ most potent scorer, he dished it to Luke Herrit, who let loose on a corner three. It rimmed out, putting the stamp on a 50-47 Yellowjacket triumph.
“That ball was three quarters of the way down,” Freeport coach Sean DeVinney said. “I don’t know how it didn’t go in.”
The chance to send the game to an extra period came after an errant inbounding play by Freeport (12-9, 7-5) with 1:33 remaining and missed free throws by Vinny Clark and Brady Sullivan in the last minute.
Knoch coach Alan Bauman, a Freeport grad, held his breath as Herrit’s final shot floated toward the bucket.
“We wanted to take Keegan off of a double to kind of disguise and get Ryan off of a pin, then come back with a ball screen,” Bauman said. “We got a great shot.”
The Knights (6-15, 2-10) had chipped away at their rivals for the better part of two frames. They started the second quarter with a 14-7 lead, which withered when the hosts embarked on a 16-0 run.
Lang and Fraser were limited to a combined nine points in the first half. Their performance after the intermission helped to keep Knoch within striking distance.
“We talked about winning the third quarter,” Bauman said. “I’m just proud of my guys. They never stopped. We weren’t really playing for much but pride and playing a rivalry.
“Our guys deserved that one.”
Freeport shot 14 for 24 (58%) in the middle quarters. Sophomore Brady Sullivan paced the team in scoring with 12 points, including a pair of threes. Vinny Clark added 11 points, while Zach Clark poured in 10 and made it hard on Lang offensively.
The Yellowjackets are bound for the playoffs. DeVinney is happy his crew isn’t arriving on what could have been a four-game losing skid.
“We needed this,” he said. “(We’re) excited to get a win before the playoffs and now we’ll see where they seed us.”
The Knights have scored 50 or less points 11 times and are 1-10 such instances. Eliminated from postseason contention, they’ll close out their season at home Saturday against Mars. The Planets have won 14 of their last 15 outings.
“We’re going to have fun with it,” Bauman said. “We’re going to go out and give it our all. At some point this year, a ball has to bounce our way. Maybe it will be tomorrow.”
KNOCH 47
Ryan Lang 6 2-5 16, Keagan Fraser 6 1-2 13, James Snyder 5 0-1 12, Luke Herrit 2 0-0 6. Totals: 19 3-8 47.
FREEPORT 50
Parker Lucas 5 0-0 12, Vinny Clark 4 3-7 11, Zach Clark 4 1-1 10, Cole Charlton 4 1-2 9, Ben Lane 1 0-0 2, Jason Kijowski 1 0-0 2, Brady Stivenson 1 0-1 2, Brady Sullivan 1 0-1 2. Totals: 21 5-12 50.
Knoch 11 7 16 13 — 47
Freeport 7 19 15 9 — 50
3-point goals: Knoch 6 (Lang 2, Snyder 2, Herrit 2); Freeport 3 (Lucas 2, Z. Clark)
Saturday: Knoch at Mars
