‘What did I just watch?’ Knowles’ reverse slam, Titans’ first quarter blitz highlight blowout of Chiefs

WARSAW, Ill. — Hunter Froman did a double take from the bench. Gavin Grothaus ran back on defense with his hands on his head and mouth wide open in disbelief.

They were in awe of what Cooper Knowles had just done.

It was just the cherry on top of a dominant sundae whipped up by the West Hancock boys basketball team on Tuesday.

With the Titans already blowing out Keokuk 58-25 and 1:30 left in the third quarter, Cooper Knowles set a screen for Titans point guard Gavin Grothaus at the top of the key and rolled to the basket while Grothaus drove to the right elbow.

“We have a couple designed lob plays. That wasn’t even a designed lob play, but I could see him coming off (the screen),” Grothaus said. “I kind of threw it over my head, and it was halfway up the backboard. I thought there was no way he was catching it.”

Not only did Knowles catch it, but he contorted his body in mid-air and threw down a reverse jam, punctuating a 74-28 Titans victory at the Warsaw High School gym.

“He threw it kind of high over to the side, so I just jumped up this way and grabbed it,” Knowles said as he demonstrated the dunk. “I don’t really know how else to explain it.”

Froman, a sophomore guard, had just exited the game prior to that possession and barely had enough time to settle into his chair on the Titans bench to get a swig of water before Knowles took flight.

“I was getting a drink, and I saw him in the air,” Froman said. “I couldn’t believe how high he was.”

Grothaus was just as amazed.

“I’m running back like, ‘Oh my gosh! What did I just watch?’” Grothaus said.

That highlight reel throw-down was one of four dunks Knowles had in the game. He finished with 29 points and seven blocks before exiting a minute into the fourth quarter.

“I just had one of those nights, I guess,” Knowles said.

Froman, who was the Titans’ only other double-digit scorer with 11 points, would welcome a repeat performance or two from the 6-foot-9 junior.

“He’s crazy good,” Froman said. “That’s one of his best games ever, and I hope he keeps doing it.”

West Hancock coach Jeff Dahl said Knowles’ activity and movement made him a force on Tuesday.

“Coop was running the floor so well today,” Dahl said. “When he does that, he’s hard to guard because he’s pretty fast and he’s pretty agile.”

Knowles even knocked down a pair of 3-pointers, one with five seconds left in the first half and another on a baseline out of bounds play with three minutes left in the third quarter. Knowles had only attempted two 3-pointers all season before Tuesday and hadn’t made one.

“We’ve been working on that shot because posts won’t follow him out,” Dahl said. “He makes them in practice all the time, but we just haven’t done it in a game. It looked smooth as silk.”

When it’s your night, it’s your night.

“I guess,” Knowles said.

The Titans scored on eight of their first nine possessions and opened up a 20-2 lead late in the first quarter. The noise from the capacity crowd pulsated through the gym during that run and throughout the game, and the Titans players fed off of it.

“That was probably the loudest gym I’ve ever been in,” Froman said. “I remember thinking how loud it was, and I’ve never heard anything like it.”

Grothaus concurred.

“That was just a different level,” Grothaus said. “That was amazing. That was so much fun.”

The Titans shot 68 percent — 32-for-47 — from the field despite a stretch from two minutes left in the first quarter until the midway point of the second in which they missed seven straight shots. The rough patch did not diminish West Hancock’s effort on the defensive end, and the Titans never allowed Keokuk to get closer than 10 points after the first quarter.

“We just have to keep our foot on the gas,” Knowles said. “We just have to keep that energy up. We did all game, and it worked out for us.”