Those are my guys, we’re going to do everything we can to work together. I trust them, I wouldn’t want to go to battle with anyone else. I trust that they’ll make open shots and make a lot of plays. I’m excited for this year. – Frank Jackson
LAYTON — It’s tough to double-up anyone in high school basketball, let alone the defending state champs, but Lone Peak did exactly that Wednesday night as the coach David Evans era got off to a rousing start.
Thanks to a stingy defensive performance in which Lone Peak held reigning 5A champ Layton to just 26 percent shooting, the Knights absolutely dominated in their season-opener, cruising to a 76-38 victory.
Evans admitted he had some pregame jitters in his first game replacing Quincy Lewis as head coach.
“Of course. At Lone Peak there’s always a target on your back, and it’s my first time in the state of Utah. I’m just grateful to come out with a win,” said Evans.
He had the ultimate security blanket in Frank Jackson though.
As he’ll likely do all year, Jackson led the Knights with 28 points on four 3-pointers and two thundering dunks, but it’s what he didn’t do that was just as impressive.
He didn’t try to dominate and put on a show to back up his reputation as one of the best guards in the country. He simply stayed within the offense and used his athleticism to get his unheralded teammates involved.
“Those are my guys, we’re going to do everything we can to work together. I trust them, I wouldn’t want to go to battle with anyone else. I trust that they’ll make open shots and make a lot of plays. I’m excited for this year,” said Jackson.
As a team, Lone Peak knocked down 10 3-pointers, with Nate Harkness adding 16 points to complement Jackson’s strong performance.
The Knights led by 14 after the first quarter, 23 at the half and 27 heading into the fourth.
Layton was without starting point guard Julian Blackmon, who is still sidelined with a broken wrist he suffered in football, and his absence was very noticeable as the Lancers committed 17 turnovers. Blackmon is expected to return in January, which would be a huge boost heading into region play.
Chandler Obrey scored 14 points to lead the Lancers, who had a very rough night from the field, shooting just 13 of 50. A good chunk of the misses were the result of Lone Peak’s defense, but a bunch of those 37 misses were wide-open looks.
Evans said it's a trend he hopes continues.
“Our team defense is what I thought was really, really good. And that’s what we’ve been talking about over and over through the summer and the fall,” said Evans, who’s a former assistant coach at BYU-Hawaii.
He was particularly pleased with Jackson’s defensive effort, which has been criticized in the past.
After the game, dozens of Layton students stood outside the Lone Peak locker room waiting to take selfies of the future Duke Blue Devil. It’s rock-star status that Jackson will get a lot of this year, and he doesn’t mind at all.
“I love this game of basketball. If people want to come watch our team play, that means the world to me, and I want to show everybody I can be one of the best players in the nation,” said Jackson.
James Edward is the Deseret News prep editor and Real Salt Lake beat writer. EMAIL: jedward@deseretnews.com