Larkin’s Jakob Blakley vs. Bartlett’s Kelton McEwen.
Two of the best junior guards in the area faced off Friday night when the Royals visited the Hawks, and early on, McEwen had the upper hand in the battle of former AAU teammates.
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All Blakley needed was a reset on the bench and a quick talk with coach Deryn Carter.
“I was talking to coach and he said, ‘Just relax,” Blakley said. “After that, I just relaxed and found my stroke.”
It was quite a find. Blakley poured in 17 points as part of a 29-point second quarter as Larkin held on for a 69-60 Upstate Eight Conference victory over host Bartlett.
“He was pressing a little bit early,” Carter said of Blakley. “It was a big game. He wanted it real bad. Sometimes, as an athlete you can almost press too much.
“I took him out, sat him down and talked to him about a few things. And he made great adjustments.”
McEwen helped Bartlett (13-4, 6-1) take a 16-3 lead to start to the game. McEwen scored nine points in the first quarter as the Hawks led 22-11 at the break.
“He’s a big-time player,” Carter said of McEwen. “He’s only a junior, but there’s no weakness. I like to think we scout pretty well, and we like to harp on a guy’s weakness, but he doesn’t have one.
“You can’t make him go left because he’ll pull up. You can’t push him right because he’s too strong and too quick. Then obviously, he can shoot it from the volleyball line in. He’s as good of a guard as there is in his class.”
After a scoreless first quarter, however, Blakley wasted no time getting Larkin (6-9, 4-3) back into the game.
He had 15 points in a 19-8 spurt to the begin the second quarter, pulling the Royals even at 30-30. His jumper to end the first half gave Larkin a 40-34 halftime lead.
“We all know how good he is,” Bartlett coach Jim Wolfsmith said. “Blakley is one of the best players in the conference. When he gets into a rhythm, he’s almost unstoppable. Kelton is the same way.”
Bartlett took a brief lead in the third quarter and forced a 55-55 tie with 3:42 left in the fourth. Larkin closed out the game with a 14-5 stretch, however.
Blakley scored four of those points. He finished with a game-high 25 for the Royals. Logan Leaver added 13 for Larkin, while Darnell Wilder and Adrian Colen-York each had 10.
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While Blakley tried to remain focused on the game plan, he also knew McEwen was on the other side.
“You always want to outperform and compete with the guy next to me,” Blakley said. “It’s always great competing with a high-level dude like him. He’s a good shooter. He can really create his shot.”
McEwen led the Hawks with 18 points. Nathan Scearce added 12 and Keegan Kunzer had 10.
Just like Blakley, McEwen was excited to show what he could do against another elite guard.
“It’s really competitive, especially playing against a bigger name like that,” McEwen said. “It’s a lot of fun to play against guys who are pretty good too.
“He’s a very good shooter. He’s able to create his own shot. If you take it away, he can create for others too. He’s a really good player overall.”
Being a former player himself, Carter knew the game meant a lot to both stars.
“I think they would both tell you it’s a game they look forward to,” Carter said. “With (Blakley) and a potential January return (from injury), I know this was a game he wanted to play, and I think you saw that.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.