With just over four minutes remaining in the first quarter, LaVonte shook off Stanley's single coverage again—no, bullied through it would be more accurate. Built like a tank, LaVonte barreled toward the rim with unstoppable force.
Stanley still contested the leap, but—whistle—BANG!
The dunk hammered home through contact. The crowd erupted.
And-one.
Clock froze at 4:35.
As LaVonte stepped to the line, Crawford burned a timeout.
Paladins up 28-11.
From the opening tip, Stanley had been on LaVonte island—no help, no switches, just one-on-one. LaVonte saw it, welcomed it, and feasted.
Nine shots in just over seven minutes. Hit seven of them. Toss in a few free throws, and he was already at 18 points.
To be fair, Crawford's gamble wasn't entirely a bust. The other four Paladins had scored just 10 combined.
And 28 total wasn't outrageous.
The real issue? The Roares couldn't score. Cold as ice.
No surprise: Crawford subbed in Ryan. No play drawn, just a nod.
