High School Sports |

Parkville boys basketball hands Franklin its first loss, 70-40

A year ago, an undefeated Parkville team beat a two-win Franklin team by 49 points en route to its Class 4A state championship team.

A lot has changed in a year. On Friday, Franklin entered the confines of Parkville High School with the unbeaten mark. However, despite a great deal of roster turnover and a new coach, Parkville is still a force in Baltimore County, winning nine of its past 10 games. The Knights proved they’re still in the upper echelon of the county and a top state contender after a convincing 70-40 win over the Indians.

“Franklin’s had a great season at this point. It was obviously a big test for us, and our guys really bought in to that mental discipline,” Parkville coach Ben Thompson said.

That discipline started on the defensive side, where Parkville played an aggressive brand of team defense, flustering the normally strong Franklin offense.

“From the beginning, we wanted to make sure we were aggressive, playing in the passing lanes, setting the tone on both ends,” Thompson said. “What an effort tonight.”

The Knights (13-3) ended the first quarter on an 11-2 run to seize a 17-8 lead they would never relinquish. Kyliek Howard, a regular starter who came off the bench with Parkville starting a few seniors on senior night, drilled a 3-pointer to spark that run.

Howard notched seven of his 17 points in the first quarter. He tied for the team lead with Anthony Council, another regular starter who came off the bench Friday. Cameron Alexander (15 points) and Mikko Persia (11 points) joined the balanced offensive effort with double-digit scoring performances. Persia had the hot hand early, hitting the game’s first 3-pointer and added a team-high five assists. On the boards, Parkville received a momentous effort from Chima Egeonu, who had four blocks in just the first half, along with 10 rebounds.

“He’s almost liable to have a double-double, almost a triple-double every night. The last two games, he’s missed a triple-double by one block,” Thompson said of Egeonu. “He’s anchored our defense on the back side. He’s a senior leader, a captain and I’m really proud of what he’s been able to do.”

Egeonu played a key role in shutting down Reggie Asoluka, the only Franklin player to generate any sort of offensive momentum in the first half. Asoluka scored all eight of the visitor’s points in the first quarter, single-handedly keeping Franklin (12-1) close in the early-going. But Egeonu stiffened his defensive effort and Thompson’s schematic adjustments gave his senior some help.

“[Asoluka] does a great job of getting in position under the basket. Our adjustment was to dig in and send a double team to feel him out and maybe get the ball out of his hands,” Thompson said. “We did a much better job of limiting his touches and being able to rotate and help out on the backside.”

As Asoluka’s contributions dried up, so did the entirety of the Franklin offense. Meanwhile, Parkville got red hot and the quarter break hardly slowed their momentum. Alexander, the Knights’ floor general hit his first of several 3-pointers on the evening, extending the lead to 20-8 right out of the break. All totaled, it was a 17-2 rampage that turned the game.

Franklin’s Jeremiah Askew grabbed a board and went coast to coast to lay the ball in and cut the deficit to 23-10. However, Parkville grabbed the next five points, including a momentum-building 3-ball from Council. Up 32-12 at the break, Parkville seemingly had the game won, but they did not let up in the second half.

Although Franklin found some offensive rhythm to start the second half, scoring 14 points in the first four minutes of the third quarter, Parkville’s hot hand could not be stopped. Howard and Persia both drained triples and the Indians couldn’t get closer than 17 points. When they did get within 45-28, Parkville locked back in defensively, giving up just one point in the final three minutes of the quarter to push the lead to 52-29.

While Franklin struggled and Parkville made plenty of shots, the hosts were also well built to avoid any long runs from the visitors. Both offensively and defensively, Parkville, who warmed up in black jerseys that read ‘strength in numbers’, received contributions up and down the roster.

Tiras Wilkerson notched two points and six rebounds off the bench. He also added a steal and earned his two points while finishing through contact and drawing a foul. Makai Jones served as an effective distributor while on the court with three assists. Senior Shane Thompson notched two points, an assist, two rebounds and a steal in a versatile effort. Egeonu chipped in with his four points and a monstrous number of rebounds and blocks.

“From the beginning of the season, we wanted to make sure that we established that it’s all of us. It’s we over me. We prepare as if we’re the most balanced team on the floor,” Thompson said. “We’re very fortunate to have guys that really bought into that from day one.”

Thompson noted that all five of his regular starters are scoring in double figures. He also noted their ability to share the ball, which was backed up by six different players having multiple assists on Friday.

On Senior Night, Parkville cruised through a stress-free fourth quarter, which showcased a handful of enjoyable moments. Those moments included Alexander hitting not only an NBA-range 3-pointer, but drilling a shot that was closer to the half-court line than the 3-point arc.

They also included senior and first-year player Tyrell Hopewell notching his only two points of the game toward the tail end of the fourth quarter. Hopewell earned the start and also added two rebounds to his stat line.

Parkville looks to keep their momentum rolling and travels to face Woodlawn on Tuesday, while Franklin will look to get back to their winning ways against Hammond on Monday.