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Washington leads Frankford to AAAA City title

Keith Washington's contributions for Frankford High's basketball team are not limited to quality point-guarding.

Keith Washington's contributions for Frankford High's basketball team are not limited to quality point-guarding.

Lately, in fact, much to the enjoyment of spectators, the 6-1, 170-pound senior has become almost as well known for sideshows.

Back on Feb. 14, judging by his histrionics, you would have thought Washington had broken his ankle in, oh, 27 places early in a Public League playoff at George Washington. Not only did he make it back onto the court, he paced a victory.

Saturday night at Abraham Lincoln, Washington suffered hamstring-cramping midway through the fourth quarter of the Pioneers' spirited battle with La Salle for the Class AAAA City Title, then spent the rest of the game occasionally imitating Grandpappy Amos (Google him, young heads).

End result? A win.

Upon getting the benefit of a block/charge call, out by midcourt, after a collision with Eddie Mitchell halted his steam-ahead toward who-knows-what with 1.4 seconds remaining, Washington drained both ends of a double-bonus and Frankford triumphed, 48-46.

When asked about the ankle/cramps combo, Washington cut loose with a hearty laugh and cracked, "I just wanted to look like a hero."

Washington, a top-notch student who's now receiving interest from West Chester, Cheyney and the University of Montevallo (D-II school in Alabama), finished with 15 points and five assists while giving the Pub its first win above the AA level in Year No. 3 of CT resumptions.

Down the stretch, he continually pulled back his right foot, trying to prevent more tightening, and scurried to the sideline during stoppages to gulp down sports drinks.

Washington, a natural righthander, has been shooting lefthanded since his brother, trying to increase his versatility, tied his right hand behind his back for a 2-week period 8 years ago.

After hitting the first free throw, he pumped his fist, yelled "Yeah!," backed off the line and had a mini-party with teammates. After he made the second and La Salle's last gasp produced nothing, Washington soared about 4 feet off the floor and soon was jamming to the back-in-the-day hit, Kool & the Gang's "Celebration," that was pulsating over the sound system.

Later, in a semiquiet hallway, he said of the call, "I believe it could have gone either way. He came right in front of me. That was great defense by Eddie."

"Before the foul, I just planned to get as close to the basket as possible and make a play, whether that was getting the ball to a teammate or taking the shot.

"I'm a pretty good free-throw shooter. If I do my motions right, I always believe I'm going to make the shot. Bounce the ball three times. Spin it once. Bend my knees . . . I couldn't bend all the way down that one time [two fourth-quarter misses] because the cramping was bothering me."

The top scorers for coach Dave Huzzard after Washington were Imire Taylor (nine of his 11 points in the third quarter) and Chris Lewis (six of his eight in the fourth).

Lewis, who also claimed a game-high six rebounds, hit the back end of a double-bonus with 28.6 remaining and La Salle created a tie with 6 seconds left on Mitchell's 8-foot flip from the right side of the lane.

Amar Stukes led the Explorers with 11 points; Joe Brown (10), Mitchell and Mike Poncia (nine apiece) followed right behind.

With a 76-57 quarterfinal loss to Constitution, Frankford was forcefully eliminated from the Pub playoffs on Feb. 18. It earned the CT appearance by topping John Bartram, 68-63, 6 days later.

"We had great practices this whole week, and that's where we believe games are won," Washington said. "Intensity was there the whole time. A lot of us play a part in that. Not just me."

He smiled. "But if I see someone saggin', I'm going to be the first one to tell him."

During Frankford's next game, a first-round state playoff vs. District 1 eighth-seed Bensalem Saturday, Keith Washington might do a little saggin', of a different variety, himself.

He knows a good-luck charm when he sees one.