Crockett Repels Furious Frankston Rally in 49-48 Second-Round Victory

RUSK -- Crockett broke open a close game with a huge third quarter. That was barely enough to hold off Corey Warren and the Frankston Indians.

Crockett built a 16-point lead heading to the fourth, but had to force an errant pass on the final possession of the game to pull out a 49-48 win over Frankston in a Class 2A Region III area playoff at Eagle Coliseum on Friday.

Crockett, which outscored Frankston 17-3 in the third quarter to break a 22-22 halftime tie, faces No. 3 Tatum in a Region III quarterfinal at a site and time to be determined. Tatum knocked off No. 1 Kountze on Friday.

"We played together, never quit, never gave in," said Emmons. "We really didn't have a great offensive night. (Frankston) dictated the tempo all night. We usually score in the 60's and 70's, so it was good to get a win playing their style."

Crockett's win spoiled an exemplary performance by Warren, who had 25 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Twelve of his points came in the fourth-quarter comeback, which saw the Indians almost completely erase a 14-point deficit in the final period.

"You just hope to contain a player like that," said Crockett coach Andre Emmons of Warren. "I knew he was going to get his points. We just tried to contain the rest of them. (Warren) is as advertised, a heck of a player. I don't know what he had, but it was a lot."

Carlton Shirley (12 points), Michael McKnight (12), and Xavier Berry (11) combined for 35 points. Shirley also tallied four boards and three steals, while McKnight added six rebounds and four assists.

Consecutive Carlton Shirley layups and a Tony Robinson three-pointer fueled Crockett's 17-3 third-quarter run that gave the Bulldogs a 39-23 lead heading to the fourth.

Frankston (22-9) answered in the fourth, when Warren scored eight consecutive points during an 8-0 spurt. McKnight hit Shirley for a backdoor layup that cut Crockett's lead to 41-33 with 5:03 to go. Warren netted four more in the final two minutes with a one-handed runner in the lane and a pair of free throws, bringing Frankston within three, 47-44.

Tye Griffin's putback trimmed Crockett's edge to 49-48 with nine seconds left. After the Bulldogs failed to convert a 1-and-1 opportunity at the charity stripe, Frankston got the ball with one final chance, but Crockett's defense forced a bad pass that led to the Tribe's go-ahead shot attempt coming after the final buzzer.

Frankston's Larry Thompson and Griffin combined for 13 points and seven rebounds. Freshman post Kendrick Rogers had a team-high nine rebounds and two blocks.