(Kaleb Watts and Ben Mooney converge on Devin Pope)
On Monday night the defending Class D champs from Franklinville hosted Chautauqua Lake, the defending Class C champions. While the home team was back in force from the prior season with its entire roster returning, the visiting Thunderbirds were back with just two starters. One of them is Devin Pope, a Second Team All-Centercourt selection in 2017, who averaged a WNY-high 28.2 point per game as a junior. Taking Pope out of the game would be a certain key to victory for the Panthers. Fortunately for Franklinville it wasn't the only key.
The Panthers used a balanced attack that saw four players score in double figures to overcome a monster performance from Pope in a 72-60 victory. Franklinville is now 2-0 on the year, while Chautauqua Lake slips 2-1.
Prior to the opening tip, Franklinville's Sam Erickson was given a commemorative ball to honor his career accomplishment of eclipsing the 1,000 point plateau, which occurred in the Panthers' season-opening victory against Niagara Catholic. The senior standout and returning Fourth Team All-Centercourt selection as a junior, then proceeded to lead his squad with a team-high 24 points, along with a game-high 19 rebounds. He netted 16 of his points during the first half, going back-and-forth with Pope as the two traded buckets and boards, and their respective teams traded leads on the scoreboard. In the first eight minutes, the lead changed on nine occasions, with each team making mini-runs before losing momentum the other way.
Pope answered an early 5-0 deficit for Chautauqua Lake with his team's first six points. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Franklinville eighth grader Josh Haskell keyed an 8-0 run that gave the Panthers an 18-11 lead, before Pope came back with eight unanswered points of his own to regain the lead for the Thunderbirds. Two straight buckets by Brock Blecha ended the opening frame and put Franklinville back on top, 22-19.
Pope had another 8-0 run to himself in the second quarter that allowed Chautauqua Lake to back in front 26-24. His 11 points in the frame accounted for all of his team's scoring in the second quarter and got him to 25 points before the game reached halftime. However, the Panthers 11-2 spurt late in the stanza had them leading 35-28 right before the break and they wouldn't trail in the game again, thanks to a defensive switch in the second half.
"I thought we'd stop him man-to-man," said Franklinville coach Jeff Haskell. "We didn't."
Franklinville extended its lead to as many as 12 points in the third quarter when Erickson, Blecha, and Darren Clark combined to produce a 9-2 spurt, while Pope was held to just six points in the stanza. The lead could have been much larger and effectively put things out of reach, had it not been for several uncharacteristic careless turnovers.
"We were dumb, every time we had a double digit lead or got close to it, we would turn the ball over or make a bad decision," Haskell said.
Over the last eight minutes the Thunderbirds could never get any closer than six points, as Franklinville continued to disrupt any offensive rhythm they attempted to get going, thanks in large part to the extra attention paid to Pope. Dylan Burton stayed glued to him any time he was in the game and seemed to relish his role as a defensive stopper for the Panthers.
"We know we're going to see defenses like this," Chautauqua Lake coach Mike Putney said. "It's not a surprise, we have the best scorer in the whole area on our team. We have to have everybody step up and as a coach, that's all on me."
Pope finished with a triple-double in the loss that included a game-high 40 points, 18 rebounds, and an eye-popping 12 steals. It's already the second time Pope has collected at least 40 points, now averaging 38.7 points through three games, along with 15.7 rebounds and 8.3 steals.
"He played great, I'll give him credit," Haskell said. "He's got a nose for the ball."
Credit was also due Erickson's way. On a night when the team's balance was evident, it was also obvious to anyone on hand that all the college scouts who turned out for the contest were there with interest in more than just Pope. A mentally tough player and team leader, Erickson was a beast in the paint as he attacked the glass with a purpose on every miss.
"He's tough, he's an animal," praised Haskell. "His rebounding mentality is nobody else is getting it but him...a lot of times he's right."
Erickson has averaged 25.5 points and 16.5 rebounds in Franklinville's first two contests.
The Panthers visit Burgard for another nonleague battle on Wednesday night, while Chautauqua Lake is next in action on Thursday when they host Westfield.
Chaut Lake 19 - 11 - 13 - 17 = 60
Franklinville 22 - 13 - 17 - 20 = 72
Point Totals
Franklinville: Sam Erickson 24, Isaac Kopp 14, Darren Clark 12, Brock Blecha 12, Josh Haskell 8, Kaleb Watts 2
Chautauqua Lake: Devin Pope 40, Kyler Majka 11, Bryan Anderson 5, Collin Wood 4
-centercourt
I've only seen Devin Pope play once, last year, but after scoring over 30+ points again last night against Maple Grove, he's a near lock for 1st Team All WNY. Unless a terrible injury occurs, I don't see him slowing down.
The team might not be as strong as last years Sectional Championship team but Pope has been carrying this CL team in every game this year. If Tavien Kemp of Walsh can make 1st Team while playing on a below average team, then Devin Pope should be a shoe in for 1st team this year.
Posted by: StateChamps2003 | Friday, December 22, 2017 at 09:45 AM