North’s Jackie Johnson shatters a McPherson Tournament scoring record

North’s Jackie Johnson III did something Thursday that hadn’t been done in more than half a century.

The Redskins’ freshman scored 36 points, breaking the freshman scoring record at the McPherson Invitiational Tournament by a dozen points. Emporia’s Bret Wise scored 24 in 1997.

“If it wasn’t for God, I wouldn’t be able to do what I do on the court,” Johnson said. “I also gotta give credit to my teammates and coaches for giving me the opportunity.”

With about three minutes left and North trailing by eight, Johnson hit back-to-back threes to cut Shawnee-Mission East’s lead to two and set the stage for a much more entertaining final stretch.

“Once he gets going, you just gotta let him go,” North coach Gary Squires said. “There were a few times that he had a few guys open that he missed, but he’s starting to be a complete player for us.”

Johnson did most of his damage in the second half with 25 points. The Redskins trailing by as many as 13 with under seven minutes to play, so the City League’s second-leading scorer took control.

“If you need a bucket, he’s gonna get it,” forward Peyton Hatter said. “… The fact that he’s 15 years old and he’s doing what he’s doing, it’s like watching guys on TV. It’s crazy. I can’t imagine where he’s gonna go.”

Johnson’s point total also would have broken the tournament’s sophomore scoring record.

Conner Frankamp, a former North guard and current Wichita State senior starter, scored 48 against Derby in 2012.

Johnson’s 36 were seventh-most in tournament history, tying former McPherson and Kansas State forward Brad Underwood’s total in 1982 against Garden City.

“It’s definitely nice, but I just gotta give credit to my coaches for putting the ball in my hands and trusting me to make plays out there,” Johnson said.

This story was originally published January 18, 2018 at 8:50 PM with the headline "North’s Jackie Johnson shatters a McPherson Tournament scoring record."