Freeport boys edge Kiski Area on last-second basket

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, December 28, 2018 | 11:03 PM

It turned out to be a game where Freeport didn’t need standout senior guard Jalen Brown to have his best performance. The Yellowjackets just needed Brown’s best at the end.

Trailing 62-61 with 10.2 seconds to play, Brown took the inbound pass and drove the length of the court and finished with a layup to give Freeport a 63-62 come-from-behind win over scrappy Kiski Area in the Freeport round-robin tourney Friday night at Freeport Middle School.

“We had a little play drawn up but (Brown) knows that if he can beat the guy and get by him, then he can do that,” Freeport coach Wayne Greiser said.

Freeport (6-2) extends its winning streak to three games, and Kiski Area (2-8) moves into the new year riding a three-game losing skid.

“I got the ball, and it was just go,” said Brown, who was named tourney MVP. “I honestly had no thoughts of ever passing the ball.”

Brown finished with a modest 10 points, and his go-ahead layup brought to an end a fourth-quarter flurry that had Kiski Area begin the final quarter trailing 47-38.

“They got up on us by double digits, and we fought all the way back and we put ourselves in position to win the game,” Kiski Area coach Will Saunders said.

With the help of 6-foot-7 sophomore forward Jason Baker, the Cavaliers stormed back with a 14-2 run and tied the game at 58-58 when Baker connected on two foul shots with 2:51 to play. Baker led Kiski Area with 20 points.

Cavalier freshman Kyle Tipinski came up big with two free throws with 1:13 to play and Kyrell Hutcherson connected on the front end of a one-and-one to give Kiski Area a 61-58 lead with 54.4 seconds remaining.

Freeport junior Aiden Skradski drove baseline and hit on a layup to bring the score to 62-61 Kiski Area. With both teams working in the double bonus, Freeport intentionally fouled senior guard Nick Smith, who missed both shots from the line.

“It hurts especially because of the free throws there, and they end up winning by one,” said Saunders.

For the first three quarters, Kiski Area played a 2-3 zone and the Yellowjackets made them pay. Skradski got hot in the first half connecting on four 3-pointers to help Freeport to a 28-24 halftime lead.

“Every game we play is like (this),” said Skradski, who finished with 20 points. “If Jalen (Brown) drives and nothing’s there, he just kicks it out. If he’s not making (shots), he knows where his shooters are.”

The second half belonged to freshman guard Vinnie Clark, who scored 15 of his game-high 22 points after halftime. Clark buried a 3-pointer at the third-quarter buzzer and then connected from behind the arc early in the fourth to put Freeport up 50-38.

“Aiden (Skradski) played really well for us to help build up that lead and Vinnie (Clark) was playing very well from the perimeter, and it was nice to have those guys,” Greiser said.

Kyle Tipinski chipped in with 12 points for Kiski Area.

The win over a much taller and athletic team gives Freeport the confidence and momentum it needs when the Yellowjackets open up Section 1-AAAA play next week at No. 5 Highlands.

“I just wanted us to play well and that’s what we did for a while and I just like how we responded,” Greiser said. “We set up our exhibition schedule to prepare us for the section, and I think it helped us prepare for what we’re going to see from now on.”

William Whalen is a freelance writer.

Tags: Freeport, Kiski School