DOC SMITH
Jacksonville Daily Progress
LIBERTY CITY —
Frankston head coach Robert Loper won his 800th career game Friday evening, reaching a pinnacle in sports history that very few coaches can fathom to approach..
Loper's Frankston Indians took the lead from the first jump and never looked back to post a win 61-41 over the Sabine Cardinals and also remain tied atop the District 18-2A standings, along with Troup.
Win No. 799 came against Troup on Tuesday night in a slow-down, 41-27 win.
The Indians (21-8, 12-1) bolted to a 19-5 lead in the first quarter and coasting to the milestone win. Hopes a district title still remain with one game left on Tuesday as they play
Friday night, the Indians hit the floor running and poured it on down the stretch after taking a 41-31 lead at the half.
Corey Warren scored eight of his game-high 25-points in the third quarter as the Indians began to pull away leading 47-30 going into the final period.
Frankston defense has always been a staple for Loper in his 800-wins, and the Indians clamped down to hold the Cardinals to only seven-points in the third quarter while Frankston ran off 16-points 13-point cushion before the last period.
Another 14-points for Frankston in the final eight-minutes sealed the win, holding Sabine to 11-points.
“There have been a lot of great players, great team role players and we have had a lot of success here over the years,” said Loper after his milestone win. “I have had some teams that really surprised me, and had a few teams that I think could have gone farther but I wouldn’t change a thing.
“It’s not always about winning games that make a good coach and I just hope I have helped the kids grow and learn through hard work and commitment,” Loper added.
Ozzie Buckner added 11-points in the game for Frankston while Tye Griffin put in nine and Kendrick Rogers pitched in six.
Frankston 61, Sabine 41
Frankston 19 12 16 14 — 61
Sabine 5 16 9 11 — 41
FRANKSTON — Ozzie Buckner, 11; Juan Mendez, 0; Caleb Whitehurst, 3; Gage Hart, 4; Corey Warren, 25; Mark Allen, 2; Kendrick Rogers, 6; Larry Thompson, 1; Tye Griffin, 9.
SABINE — O’Shean Jagot, 15; Cody Sauce, 2; Qwaylen Chumley, 9; Ashley Dukes, 5; Austin Jordan, 8; Dusty Taylor, 2; Dylan Cook, 0.
THREE POINT GOALS — F: Buckner, Whitehurst, Warren. S: Jagot (2), Jordan.
RECORDS — Frankston 21-8 (12-1), Sabine 11-18 (6-7).
JV SCORE — Frankston 30, Sabine 28.
NEXT GAME — West Rusk at Frankston, Tuesday; Sabine at Troup, Tuesday.
