BOB ETTINGER
SAYBROOK TOWNSHIP — Jefferson’s Hannah Francis isn’t your ordinary 3-point shooter. Not as far as 3-point contests go anyway.
Where most shooters like to attempt the trey from the wing or the top of the key during a contest, Francis likes to take her shot from the corner — a much tougher spot from which to chuck it.
But it worked like a charm for Francis, who won the girls’ 3-point contest at the Star Beacon-Ed Batanian Senior Classic at Lakeside Gymnasium on Tuesday night.
“It’s easy for me (to shoot from there),” Francis, who took the majority of her shots from the corner for the Falcons, said. “I don’t know why. It’s where I can make my 3-pointers from. I don’t know why. I’m not a backboard type.”
Francis made seven of 10 in the final round to best Justine VanCise of Conneaut. VanCise connected on three in the finals.
“I don’t know what it was,” Francis said. “I just shot the ball.
“I found a rhythm about halfway through the season. I kind of stuck with it. When I found it, I thought, ‘This feels nice.’ I think (I shot so well) because my elbow stayed in. I expected to be out in the first round.”
“It’s because she’s amazing,” VanCise said.
Francis was 15 of 20 (75 percent) in the contest. On the season, she made just 11 treys and shot 31.4 percent from beyond the arc.
VanCise had to shoot an extra round to reach the final. She made seven in that round to better Geneva’s Courtney Thompson (3) and Lakeside’s Dianna Moore (3) to reach the final.
Francis connected on eight in the opening round, while VanCise, Thompson and Moore each made four to force the extra round.
Try it again
It took two extra rounds, but Madison’s Tyler Richmond topped Riverside’s Mychael Delano in the boys’ 3-point contest. Richmond was good on all four of his shots in the final round, while Delano made three of his five.
Richmond and Delano each made six of 10 in the first round to reach the final. They each made five, then six in the next two rounds.
The Spartans’ Chris Howland made five and Edgewood’s Sean Butler was good on three in the opening round.
Second thoughts
During the first half of the girls game, VanCise missed a couple of 3-point attempts, prompting her on one trip up the floor, with 1:45 to play in the first half, to look at Conneaut coach Tony Pasanen and say, “I’m starting to rethink this whole 3-point contest.”
“I was just kidding with Pasanen,” she said.
Despite struggling early, VanCise connected on three treys in the game, two of which came on consecutive possessions in the second half during a 9-2 Stars run that cut a nine-point deficit to just two, 45-43.
Later, her third trey made the score 61-57, Beacons, with 2:15 remaining in the game.
“It’s easier to shoot when you’re playing (in the game), instead of (in the contest) when no one is on you,” VanCise said. “You’re able to catch the ball with momentum and get your rhythm. It’s easier to do all in one motion.”
Moore was the only other 3-point contestant to score from behind the arc in the game. She tallied with 12 minutes to play in the first half.
“It’s really all mental,” Moore said of her performance in the contest. “I guess I just choked under pressure. It’s intense because you’re competing against people just as good as you are.”
Some pipes
Madison sophomore Cassie Kahr sang the National Anthem for each of the games Tuesday. It’s the fourth year in a row she’s been asked to do the honors.
Turns out, Kahr is in a rock band, called The Girls Band, with seven other people. She and her bandmates, Kelly Marie Pease (singer), Samantha Rickard (singer), Tommy Foster (electric guitar), Dan Rose (rhythm guitar), Danny Watkins (keyboards), Bill Kovach (bass) and Eric Winfield (drums), will be appearing on the Morning Show on Fox 8 in Cleveland on Friday.
“We did it last year,” Kahr said. “We had been calling them for years. They asked us back again.”
The show starts at eight.
The Girls Band can be found online at www.theGirlsBand.com and can be seen in bars and clubs around the area. Check out the website for details.
Dunk you very much
Slam dunks were quite common in the boys game. In all, 17 dunks were thrown down.
Getting in on the action were Lakeside’s Emilio Parks and Rashaad Bell, Grand River Academy’s Brant O’Brien, Geneva’s Jimmy Haines, Riverside’s Mychael Delano and Edgewood’s Sean Butler.
Shining stars
Geneva’s Taylor Webb (Beacons) and Jefferson’s Lizzy Ziemski (Stars) joined O’Brien (Mean Machine) and Parks (Hammers) as Players of the Game for their respective teams.
For the ladies, rebounding was the key to success.
“Rebounds equal hustle,” Ziemski said. “If I’m having an off night, I can always help the team out by rebounding. I love to make the hustle plays. If I can’t shoot (because of an off night), I rebound.”
“Rebounds are just pure hustle, determination and getting after it,” Webb said. “Coach (Nancy Barbo) always says if I’m having an off day, I have to control the things I can. Every game I try to get as many rebounds as possible.”
Webb scored 21 points and had seven rebounds to lead the Beacons. Ziemski scored 10 points and had 12 boards for the Stars.
O’Brien played a part in Parks being named player of the game and vice versa. In fact, it was because of O’Brien that Parks became a starter.
“Brant O’Brien, during warmups, told our coach (Geneva’s John Marhefka) that he wanted to challenge me. Coach told me he challenged me. I wanted to go out and give a show and shut him up a little bit. It was a friendly challenge and I was up to it, of course.”
“Through the season, we didn’t play Lakeside,” O’Brien said. “I wanted to so bad. I kept hearing about this Emilio kid. I wanted to see what he was about.
“During warmups, I was doing layups and their coach asked if I wanted to guard Emilio. He wasn’t starting, so I said get him to start and I’ll guard him.”
Parks scored 32 points and made a pair of 3-pointers for the Hammers. O’Brien scored 28 points for the Mean Machine.
Out of nowhere
Edgewood’s Brian Joslin wasn’t known for his scoring. His job sort of was to be the glue for the Warriors. He might have attempted an average of two shots per game.
However, he scored seven points for the Mean Machine.
“I have no idea (where it came from),” he said. “I told everyone I was going to shoot a bunch of 3s. The first one went in, then I threw a couple more in. I was just having fun.”
His coach, Kevin Andrejack, might’ve enjoyed it.
“I should’ve looked at him,” Joslin said. “I know he was laughing. I didn’t have to look.”
Raffle winner
Denise Lamb of Geneva won the Adirondack oak chairs donated by Edgewood wrestling coach Greg Stolfer’s woodshop class.
