FREEPORT — Auburn used a 10-0 run in the first quarter and a 10-2 run in the second to beat Freeport 62-45 Friday and remain unbeaten in the NIC-10.
“Boy, if that’s not the best team that could win the NIC-10,” Freeport coach Jeff Lawfer said after his team’s home opener. “I’ll be very surprised. That’s an awfully good basketball team.”
Auburn (6-1, 3-0 NIC-10) is alone in first place in the conference after outrebounding Freeport 36-26. The Pretzels (6-3, 3-1 NIC-10) didn’t score their first two points of the game until 2:08 were left in the first quarter when Jon Manson (seven points) sliced to the bucket.
Freeport guard Ryan Hickey made a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left in the quarter, but the team scored just five points in the first.
“That was by far the worst first half any of us have played in all of our lives,” Hickey said dejectedly. “We were hesitant on offense. The defense wasn’t too bad — we gave up (less than) 30 points in the first half.
“But ... we were not ready to play in the first half.”
Hickey finished with a team-high 17 points but was the only player in double figures. By comparison, Kashif Maxwell (game-high 18 points), Darnell VanVleet (13) and Ayrryous Ford (11) led the Knights and presented problems for the Pretzels throughout the game.
VanVleet went on a tear, knocking down seven of his 13 points in the second quarter, including a three (3-for-5 from the 3-point range) to extend Auburn’s lead to 26-7 with 3:59 left in the half. Freeport coach Jeff Lawfer expected VanVleet to do well, so the plan was to shut him down and force others on the Knights to score. However, the seven-year coach didn’t expect Maxwell or junior J.D. Danforth (combined 6-of-12 from behind the 3-point line) to be so effective.
“You’re thinking that you’re going to match up on VanVleet and take him out of the game and force the others to beat us,” he said. “And they beat us. You’ve got to give them credit. They knocked down a lot of open shots.”
Auburn finished 9-for-18 from 3-point range.
Freeport managed a surge in the third quarter and cut what was a 37-19 lead down to 37-31. Hickey’s 3-pointer, followed by an Eric Douglas (nine points, four steals, five assists) cut the Auburn lead to 37-24. Austin Davis scored on a nice post move and then Douglas set up a no-look pass to Hickey for a score and foul.
Hickey made the free throw.
“We’ve played together since we were freshman,” Douglas said. “But later we couldn’t connect on the next play.”
Hickey just missed a 3 that would have had Auburn’s lead down to three points.
VanVleet then hit a crucial 3-pointer that all but ended Freeport’s comeback. Auburn scored 20 points in the fourth quarter despite four Knights in foul trouble.
- Joey Baskerville, GateHouse News Service
