The opening act lived up to billing.
Mr. Basketball favorite Trayce Jackson-Davis got his senior season started with a 29-point performance, leading Class 4A No. 6 Center Grove to a 68-48 home win over Franklin on Tuesday night.
“It was a tone-setter for how we’re coming to play this year,” Jackson-Davis said.
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Jackson-Davis was the star of the show from the outset, scoring 14 of the Trojans’ 18 first-quarter points. He showed his effectiveness from everywhere, getting an early dunk in the post, making his first three foul shots and capping the period with a nonchalant buzzer-beating 3 to give his team an eight-point advantage.
The Grizzly Cubs clamped down on Jackson-Davis in the second quarter, limiting him to a single basket, but the extra attention freed up some shooters outside. Justin DeGraaf knocked down a pair of 3s to negate a balanced Franklin effort and keep the lead at eight, 31-23, going into the half.
“As much as we can get (Jackson-Davis) the ball, we know the defense has to react,” Center Grove coach Zach Hahn said. “That makes the rest of our players that much better. … We have a lot of guys that can shoot the ball.”
“I’m just going to basically play the flow of the game,” Jackson-Davis added. “If they want to come double, I’m going to kick it out to my teammates.”
The visitors stayed within range for part of the third period, with 3-pointers from Blaine Wentzell and Drew Byerly cutting the gap to 38-31. But Center Grove responded with a 10-0 run, keyed by a Spencer Piercefield 3 and a Jackson-Davis three-point play, to rebuild a double-digit lead that lasted the rest of the way.
“We couldn’t knock them off of any spots, and they shot an amazing percentage,” Franklin coach Brad Dickey said. “Our kids were engaged and competed really well, but we need to win a few more spots, especially on the defensive end.”
DeGraaf finished with 14 points for the Trojans, while Piercefield chipped in with 10. Cory Richards paced the Grizzly Cubs with 14 in defeat, with Cody Mahler adding 12.
Though his team came out on the losing end, Dickey said he saw a number of positives.
“We saw several successes,” he said. “Their size and strength slowed us down, but it didn’t stop us.”
Franklin is back in action tonight at Indian Creek. Center Grove is at Franklin Central on Saturday.
