Blackhawks secure victory over Frankton

By RICHIE HALL

SHERIDAN – Sheridan took the first step towards defending its sectional championship Tuesday with a solid first-round win over Frankton.

The Blackhawks, hosts of Class 2A Sectional 39 this year, took care of the Eagles 58-26 at Larry Hobbs Gymnasium. Sheridan never trailed in the game, slowly building its lead throughout all four quarters against a tough Frankton team.

Garner

“I think that Frankton definitely played super hard the whole game,” said Blackhawks coach Jaidlin Bradshaw. “That gave us a little bit of first, to be honest with you. They’re hard, they’re aggressive, they’re physical, they’re long. That really disrupted us and what we wanted to do, so kudos to them for coming out and just playing physical, especially in that first half.”

Sheridan held its ground well, skipping out to a 9-2 lead in the first quarter. Kenzie Garner scored seven of those points, with Shelby Eaton getting the other two with a layin. A pair of late 3-pointers brought the Eagles back, but the ‘Hawks led 13-8 after the first.

A 7-0 spurt helped Sheridan jump ahead 24-10 during the second quarter, with Eaton nailing a 3-pointer to start the run. That helped the Blackhawks stay in front at halftime, 26-15.

Sheridan turned it up in the third quarter, outscoring Frankton 19-5 for a 45-20 lead. Garner began the second half with back-to-back baskets from steals, then Nova Cross hit a jump shot. Later, Kenzie Garner, Brielle Garner and Eaton hit triples, one after the other.

Eaton

“We shot the ball better in the second half, so that helped us a lot,” said Bradshaw.

The Blackhawks outscored the Eagles in all four quarters, including a 13-6 fourth quarter. Kenzie Garner added five points to reach her game-high total of 25, while Mac Smith scored four points on two baskets. Eaton also reached double figures with 10 points.

“She played great,” said Bradshaw. “She stepped up. She knocked down shots when we needed her to. She just did a really nice job of staying composed and poised and doing her job. We’re happy to see that.”

Cecilia Timme and Smith both scored eight points. Kenzie Garner finished with seven rebounds, six steals and two blocked shots, Smith collected seven rebounds and Timme had four assists and four rebounds. Cross had a game-high five assists.

Sheridan is now 22-1 for the season and hosts Tipton Friday in the second semifinal. Lapel plays Elwood in the first semifinal, which tips off at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs beat Taylor 52-21 in Tuesday’s opening game.