Sandies Stumble in Warm-up Game

John Tyler 59 Grapeland 50

By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter

TENAHA – With the exception of early-season tournaments, very seldom will you see a Class-5A school take on a Class-2A school in basketball. The reason is two-fold. First, the 5A team has nothing to gain. If they win, fans will say they should have won. If they lose, they face ridicule. The second reason is because often times a 2A squad might get humiliated at the hands of a school more than twice their size.

Javion Joseph puts up a mid-range jumper during second half action in the Grapeland Sandies warm-up game against the John Tyler Lions. The Sandies played tough but eventually fell by a final score of 59-50.

There are those games, however, when a 2A team can benefit from the experience. Such was the case on Friday night, Feb. 15 when the Class-2A Grapeland Sandies traveled to Tenaha for a warm-up game against the Class-5A John Tyler Lions.

For three quarters, the Sandies more than held their own and led by four points with only eight minutes left in the game. The Lions, however, came roaring back in the final period of play, thanks in large part to Michael Hogg’s 14 points, to clip Grapeland by a final score of 59-50.

The first quarter saw the two teams sizing each other up as John Tyler squeaked out a 17-16 lead after the first period of play. Hogg and Richard Powell paced the Lions with five apiece while Deon Fields, Anthony Miner and Darry Moore all had two. In addition, Jerome Jones converted one of two from the line.

Grapeland stayed right with John Tyler as Keizion Ashford had five points while Rick Frauenberger knocked down four. Javion Joseph hit a shot from behind the arc while Keriaun Davis and Tyrin Wiley both had a basket to round out the Sandies’ first quarter scoring.

Rick Frauenberger goes up for two of his 12 points against the John Tyler Lions in the Tenaha Playoff Preview held last Friday, Feb. 15.

The second quarter saw the Sandies and Lions play to a stalemate as both teams went for 12. Moore dropped in six for John Tyler while Hogg, Powell and Lampton all had two apiece.

The Sandies saw Deco Bryant break into the scoring column with five points. Frauenberger added four more to his total, Cadarian Wiley had two and Ashford chipped in a free throw to make the score 29-28 at halftime.

Following the break, the momentum shifted to the Grapeland defense as they held John Tyler to only eight third quarter points while the offense put in 13 to take a 41-37 lead into the fourth quarter.

Joseph got the ball rolling for the Sandies with seven points in the quarter. Ashford had four and Frauenberger added a basket as Grapeland took a four-point lead.

The Lions points came from Hogg with four, while Lampton and Nathaniel Hall added two apiece.

Grapeland’s Keizion Ashford is fouled as he goes in for a lay-up against the John Tyler Lions. The Sandies lost the warm-up game by a score of 59-50.

In the fourth quarter, John Tyler flipped the script on Grapeland as they held the Sandies to only nine points in the final eight minutes. In addition, no matter what they tried, the Sandies could not contain Hogg as he poured in 14 points in the final period of play. He was joined in the scoring column by Lampton and Moore with four apiece as John Tyler defeated Grapeland, 59-50.

The Sandies’ fourth quarter points came from T. Wiley with four, Ashford with three and Frauenberger with two.

On the game, the Sandies were led in scoring by Keizion Ashford with 13 and Rick Frauenberger with 12. Javion Joseph dropped in 10, Tyrin Wiley had six and Deco Bryant added five. Keriaun Davis and Cadarian Wiley rounded out the Grapeland point production with two apiece.

The Lions were led in scoring by Michael Hogg with a game-high 25 points and Darry Moore with 12. Roy Lampton dropped in eight, Richard Powell had seven, Nathaniel Hall and Anthony Miner both scored two and Jerome Jones converted one of two from the line to close out the John Tyler scoring.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].