RADNOR >> After a gut-wrenching one-point loss to Chester in the District 1 final, Jackson Hicke promised himself that Radnor’s PIAA Class 5A state opener Tuesday against Susquehannock would be different.
Hicke scored all 17 of the Raptors’ points in the first quarter, had 23 at the half and finished with a career-high 38 to power his team to a 75-56 romp over the Warriors.
The 6-4 junior could have had 50 points had he not gotten the ball to teammates so selflessly, although point totals obviously weren’t the primary mission on this unforgettable evening.
“The Chester loss stung hard,” Hicke said. “I didn’t want that to happen again. I kind of came out a little soft in the first half against Chester. We all came out aggressive tonight. We didn’t want to go home at this point. My teammates got me the ball in great spots, and I hit a couple shots. It really got us going and then everybody started chipping in.”
Each time Hicke got the ball a partisan Raptors crowd was on its feet waiting to count the baskets. He made 12 of 19 shots from the field and 12 of 15 at the free throw line, where the Raptors missed 17 shots in their heartbreaking 66-65 loss to Chester.
All the time Hicke was going toe-to-toe with Warriors guard Jalen Franklin, who finished with 33 points, including a handful of three-point bombs from King of Prussia Road.
It was Hicke and Radnor 17, Franklin and the Warriors 17 after one quarter. Leading 33-28 at the intermission, the Raptors blew the game open in the third quarter as they outscored the Warriors, 24-6.
Four minutes into the fourth quarter, the Raptors (21-4) led by 22 points and Hicke was finishing up an evening that also included 13 rebounds and two assists. The only mistake he made was missing a shot in close that would have gotten him 40 points, which also brought the crowd to its feet.
“Jackson is such an unselfish player,” Chadwin said. “You saw the scoring. He’s one of the best passers in the league. You see him stepping in to take a charge. He leads us in rebounds. What he does when he doesn’t have the ball is spectacular as well. And I think what (Franklin) did was remarkable, too. Jackson had the ability to get loose a lot more than (Franklin) did because he had Cooper (Mueller) and Michael (Savadove) on him. And his shots, I mean, he was back there. It was an unbelievable performance by both of them.”
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Radnor’s Jackson Hicke rolls over Susquehannock’s Jalen Franklin
in the first quarter Tuesday. Hicke had all 17 points in the quarter
and 38 overall in the Raptors’ 75-56 victory in the PIAA Class 5A
playoffs Tuesday evening. (PETE BANNAN – DAILY TIMES)
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