By Jim Irish
Photos by Dustyn Werner
Kenji Franklin had little trouble scoring against any type of defense this season.
Until bi-district.
Cedar Creek’s 6-foot-6 star ran afoul of Weiss’ defensive scheme in a 51-41 loss at Manor Senior High on Tuesday.
"... Mekhai Bryant did a great job individually on (Franklin). ..."
-- Weiss coach Brandon Greene
Averaging almost 22 points a game, Franklin was limited to 10 by the Wolves. He had only one game with fewer points this season. Against Weiss, he was unsuccessful in penetrating in the lane.
Weiss coach Brandon Greene started the playoff game in a 2-3 zone. However, he abandoned it after the first quarter in favor of man-to-man defense.
Why wouldn’t Greene toss it? The Wolves trailed 10-7 after the first quarter but outscored Cedar Creek in each of the next three quarters.
Weiss’ Mekhai Bryant, a 6-6 senior, had the task of guarding Franklin with assistance from Blake Wilson, a 6-7 senior.
Weiss’ big men prevented Franklin from being a scoring machine.
”We made a concerted effort to take certain things away that we thought Cedar Creek liked to do, and it worked in our favor,” Greene said. “Kenji Franklin was obviously at the focal point of that, Mekhai Bryant did a great job individually on him. But I thought our other guys did a great job taking away their shooters and doubling Franklin when we needed to.”
Stars step up to the occasion in big games. Franklin sank only 3-of-11 shots from the floor, including two 3-pointers. He equaled his rebounding average of 10 against Weiss. He also had four steals, two assists, and one block.
The only other Cedar Creek scoring in double figures was 5-7 guard Nomar Ruvalcaba with 12 points on 5-of-11 shooting. The junior was second on the team with five rebounds.
Three-point shooter Phineas Koplin was just 1-of-7 from long range (2-of-11 overall) and finished with six points, nine below his average.
Neither team burned the net cords. The Eagles (20-15) shot 29% from the field, while Weiss wasn’t much better at 33%.
"I thought we missed a ton of good looks."
-- Cedar Creek coach Chris Young
Cedar Creek was well off its 59-point scoring average. The Eagles scored fewer than 41 points in only three games this season.
Weiss had a huge rebound advantage over Cedar Creek
The statistic that leaps off the page is rebounds. The Wolves (17-18) outrebounded the Eagles 39-22, an astonishing disparity.
"(Weiss) did a good job crashing the offensive boards."
-- Young
Bryant was offensively contained for the most part by Cedar Creek. He finished with 13 points on 4-of-13 shooting, grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, and handed off four assists.
”Mekhai didn’t have the game we’re accustomed to from him, but he played well defensively on Franklin,” Greene said.
Weiss guard Brian Phelps led with 18 points (6-of-17) and grabbed seven rebounds. Wilson, the 6-7 post, scored six points and snagged six rebounds. He was also a thorn defensively with three blocks. Zion Purefoy, a freshman, added nine points.
”Brian Phelps carried us offensively, and Blake Wilson anchored the back end of our defense,” Greene said.
Weiss battles Fort Bend Kempner (18-12) in an area contest at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Waller High School.
Jim Irish is a freelance writer in Bastrop, Texas
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