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Orem • Frank Jackson embraced his father underneath the bleachers of the UCCU Center following a historically uncharacteristic night. The state's top player was a shell of his normal self, slumping through foul trouble, turnovers and frustration.
Less than 24 hours separated Lone Peak from its napalming of Lehi, where the Knights overwhelmed the scoreboard with 100 points. Jackson was exhausted and it showed, yet he displayed the characteristic every great player inherently possesses: killer instinct. After American Fork pulled even with 20 seconds remaining, Jackson penetrated the lane and buried an off-balanced runner before intercepting the ensuing inbounds pass to pull the plug at the line for a 56-52 win on Wednesday.
"That's the thing. You have to keep going to him because he's proven," said Lone Peak coach David Evans. "It doesn't bother me if he's missed a couple shots. I have faith in him. … I had all the faith in him to hit that jumper at the end. That's a tough shot, but that's why he has the accolades that he has."
Lone Peak remains in sole custody of first place in Region 4 — undoubtedly the state's deepest league — with the sweep of American Fork, but now the Knights must travel into consecutive road games against Pleasant Grove and Westlake.
"It's so tough. What is wrong with this region?" Evans exclaimed. "I called [former Lone Peak coach] Quincy [Lewis], and I said, 'Quincy! I don't have one easy game all year. Everyday is a grind. Herriman is good. Lehi has so much talent. PG — they're all good. Westlake has been killing everybody. It's a hard region."
Stopping Jackson is no small task, but American Fork has held the five-star recruit relatively in check during seven career games against him before Wednesday, holding him to 18.3 points per game — well below his usual output. Jackson picked up two fouls in the first quarter and added two more in the third, which never allowed him to discover his groove.
"It was definitely frustrating, but I try to maintain focus on the team effort," Jackson said. "I trust my guys. I know they'll step up and make shots."
American Fork employed a box-and-one in an attempt to mitigate Jackson's contributions, and Lone Peak struggled to find the necessary adjustments to counter, but perhaps the misconception about this year's Lone Peak roster is its dependency on Jackson. The Knights aren't nearly as explosive without Jackson on the floor — no question — but against the fourth-ranked Cavemen, they showed an ability to find offense from different avenues, specifically Nate Harkness and Chad Pollard.
"We all have each other's backs," Harkness said. "Today, Frank was getting double-teamed the whole game, so we all need to be ready to go and help each other out."
It appeared as if Jackson's absence in scoring wouldn't matter until Brendan Bailey never single-handedly knocked off the top-ranked Knights after helping the Cavemen escape extinction with a 16-2 run in the second quarter to close the gap to 29-27 at the break.
After the two exchanged blows throughout the second half, Bailey's layup with 1:09 remaining in regulation cut the deficit to 52-50 before Lone Peak immediately coughed up possession, which allowed Bailey, who was far and away the best player on the court throughout the game, to bury a mid-range jumper to pull even at 52-52.
But with 20 seconds remaining, there was no question who was going to take the final shot for the Knights.
"No, I'm sorry," Jackson said with a giggle when asked if there was any hesitation. "I'm going to take it."
Twitter: @trevorphibbs —
Storylines
Lone Peak sweeps rival American Fork to remain in sole custody of first place in Region 4.
Frank Jackson, on a historically off-night, scores the final four points for the Knights.
Brendan Bailey ignited the Cavemen on a 16-2 run to make the game competitive in the second quarter.