Northern Nash/Franklinton Recap/Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Northern Nash Knights got themselves a convincing victory over the Franklinton Rams on Friday night as the Knights created some distance in the Big East Conference standings and stayed perfect in action at 22-0 on the season. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Knights jumped out to a quick 13-2 lead sparked by some stifling defense and perimeter scoring. [player_tooltip player_id='854919' first='Jamal' last='Townsend'], [player_tooltip player_id='1154635' first='Randall' last='King'] and Jonathon Page came in locked in, especially Page off the bench in the second quarter. Townsend opened with nine early points while King followed up with five points in the first quarter. They built a quick lead and never looked back as they led with 4:02 remaining in the opening frame. The Franklinton Rams wouldn't make it easy though, as they would battle back led by a quick 5-point spurt from forward Parrish Rushing. After 1, the Knights led 19-13.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>In the second quarter, Northern Nash would go on a run. They started the quarter on a 7-0 run to lead 26-13 with 6:30 left in the first half. Page would knock down back-to-back 3-pointers to make it 32-13 with 5:39 remaining in the half as they extended the run to 13 points a minute later to lead 32-13 with 5:30. The Rams went on a drought to start the quarter and the lead kept growing for Northern Nash. With two minutes left in the half, they led 37-20. A 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer by Roncellis Marshall would make it 49-27 at the half. The Knights outscored the Rams 30-14 in the second quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>2024 big man [player_tooltip player_id='1076338' first='Demondre' last='Haymon'] came alive in the second half to keep the offensive attack going for Northern Nash. He would score eight of his 12 points in the quarter, showing he could step out and knock down shots with two 3-pointers. The pace slowed down a ton with the Knights holding the lead but they held off the Rams at every turn. Back-to-back 3-pointers from the Rams would make it 57-36 with 4:53 left in the quarter but Northern Nash would get a 3-pointer from Haymon to extend the lead back out to 60-36. After 3, the Knights led the Rams 68-46.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Franklinton kept battling in the fourth quarter and cut the lead to 70-55 with 5:29 remaining in the game, triggering a Northern Nash timeout. The Knights would weather the storm though and held a 74-57 with two minutes remaining in the game. The pace slowed down tremendously after that as the Knights would cruise to victory.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Final Score - Northern Nash 79 - Franklinton 63</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["854919"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Townsend led the way for the Knights with 16 points, including nine points to open the quarter and showed he could run the lead guard spot and make plays for others. He was locked in on both ends of the floor and showed he could play a winning brand of basketball.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1076338"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_player_featured_image":1781312,"_player_evaluations_1_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Haymon really picked things up in the second half, though he was aggressive with the ball in his hands in the first half. He finished with 12 points including two 3-pointers in the second half to pace the offense when it needed a boost. He's a 6-foot-7 presence that can make things happen inside and out while utilizing his size.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1154635"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"King was another impressive spark in the Northern Nash backcourt with his ball pressure defense and ability to attack off the bounce. He finished with 15 points including a 3-pointer to show he could get to the paint and wreak havoc around the rim with his ability to draw fouls and get to the free throw line. He's a 2024 name to keep an eye on with Northern Nash as well.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1780943"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Page was quite the spark off the bench in the second quarter, where he put up all of his points. He had quite the sequence at one point, scoring a layup off a steal then sprinting back on defense to tip away another pass that caused a turnover which forced Franklinton to foul. He was quite the impactful sharpshooter off the bench with 10 points and two steals.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1722116"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Alston probably had his roughest shooting outing of the season on Friday night but he stuck with the offense and still managed to put together a 15-point performance, with two made 3-pointers. It was a rough go on the road for the Rams as they took their second conference loss of the season to Northern Nash.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"edit","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-63de639ea8732"} /-->