KETTERING – For three quarters Franklin Monroe was very competitive and in fact outscored Minster 51-50 … but it’s a four-quarter game and the Wildcats outscored the Jets 24-7 in the second quarter to take a 74-58 win at Flyin’ to the Hoop.
Franklin Monroe came out the gate focused, moving the ball and shooting it with confidence with Kyle Ressler and Zach Cable each scoring 5 points and Parker Hesler and Ethan Conley both scoring 4 in the opening quarter.
Ressler put in a layup at the 2:22 mark to give the Jets a 6-point lead, 14-8. It would be their largest of the day.
Minster, however, was starting to heat up and closed within a bucket, trailing 18-16 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter the Wildcats jumped into a three-quarter court trapping defense, slowing down Franklin Monroe while turning them over, which led to some easy scores.
FM had seven turnovers in the second quarter and Minster turned them into 11 points while also dialing it in from long range, connecting on 5-of-10 triples and 24 points in the period.
Adam Knapke’s 3-pointer gave the Wildcats a lead for the first time in the game at 7:07 of the second quarter, one they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way.
Meanwhile the confidence Franklin Monroe showed to start the game was shaken, shots weren’t falling and the only offense generated in the period came from Conley who scored 13 first half points, 9 in the quarter including five straight trying to move the Jets in the right direction but trailing 35-25 with just under two minutes to the break.
However, the Wildcats finished strong to take a 40-25 halftime lead.
“We had a lead early and they (Minster) punched us and we didn’t respond. We talked about responding in the past. We have to throw punches back,” Franklin Monroe boys basketball coach Troy Myers said. “Minster did what Minster does. They out-toughed us, and that was the difference in the game.
“We had seven turnovers in the second quarter and now were playing behind to a team that shot 56 percent from the 3-point line.”
In the third quarter Franklin Monroe got a triple from Hesler and a fielder from Cable to get it back to 10, trailing 45-35 … but the Jets couldn’t slow down the hot shooting of the Wildcats.
Minster pushed the lead back up to 55-39 by the end of the third quarter and expanded it to 65-44 for the largest lead of the game.
Franklin Monroe defensively just wasn’t able to get enough stops or cool Minster, who shot 10-for-18 from beyond the arch and 19-for-38 from the field. It’s hard to win games when a team shoots it that well, and the Cats went on to record a 74-58 victory.
In the end, it still was a showcase with college coaches in attendance and Conley put on a show … all within the framework of the team concept: scoring 22 second half points and a career-high 35 for the game. Conley was 12-for-13 from the free throw line and pulled down 10 rebounds as well.
Conley dazzled with his spin moves and creative ability to finish at the rim. He also showed he can knock down the outside shot and the midrange shot as well. It was a performance worthy of being considered for the Flyin’ to the Hoop all-tourney team.
“Ethan knew it was a showcase … but before the game I told him it wasn’t a showcase of talent; it was a showcase of our team and culture,” Myers said. “I thought Ethan was in ‘killer’ mode the entire game. He was attacking the rim, he was on the glass, and that’s because he wants to win. Ethan represented us at the highest level, and I’m really proud of him.
“I just wish his toughness and will to win would permeate to our other guys more than it does because it’s frustrating to have just one or two guys playing with a killer instinct and the others are inconsistent, and that is on us as a staff,” Myers concluded.
Box score:
Score by quarters
FM … 18 … 07 … 14 … 19 – 58
MI …. 16 … 24 … 15 … 19 – 74
Individual scoring
Franklin Monroe – Kyle Ressler 6, Zach Cable 9, Parker Hesler 8, Ethan Conley 35;
Totals 5-15-12/13 – 58
Minster – Isaac Schmiesing 16, Alex Lehmkuhl 6, Cody Frericks 4, Mike Ketner 21, Adam Knapke 11, Jack Heitbrink 6, Max Prenger 2, Jarod Schulze 8’
Totals 10-19-6/7 – 74
