BUFFALO TWP — Julian Sanks knows long before the game starts if he's going to be on or off.

During pre-game warmups, he launches a few 3-pointers to see how he feels.

Most of the time, he's on.

The Knoch senior guard was certainly on Thursday evening against Kiski Area at the Freeport Tournament, becoming only the fourth player in school history to hit seven 3-pointers in a game to help the Knights to an 89-52 boys basketball win.

“If I make my first couple of shots,” Sanks said, “I feel like I can make anything.”

Sanks missed his first 3-pointer, but not many more after that on the way to a 25-point night.

It was a welcome outburst for Sanks, who has had to deal with teams hounding him all over the court this season.

With some open shots against Kiski Area (2-7), Sanks didn't squander them, shooting 8-of-12 from the floor overall and 7-of-9 from 3-point range.

“I got off to a slow start, so I had to change something up,” Sanks said. “I think going to the hole the first couple of times opened up my 3-point game, so I was able to shoot the ball a little more.”

Knoch coach Ron McNabb said he was expecting Sanks to have a breakout game soon.

He was especially pleased it came Thursday.

“When Julian shoots like that — it's no surprise because I watch him every day,” McNabb said. “He gets a lot of pressure from the other teams, but he's playing within himself. You saw him get to the rim a couple of times tonight, which I was real happy about.

“I was really happy for him,” McNabb said. “He was a sweet shot.”

Sanks idolized former NBA sharpshooter Ray Allen — not a bad player to emulate.

“Watching him helped me a lot,” Sanks said, smiling.

“Even if I brick a few shots, I just know I need to stay calm,” Sanks added. “If I'm jittery, my shot is way off.”

Knoch (5-3) wasn't jittery at all against Kiski, jumping out to a 19-4 lead less than five minutes into the game.

The Cavaliers did draw as close as six points at 32-26 midway through the second quarter and were down by 10 at the half.

But Knoch has shown a penchant for scoring points quickly and it did so again.

The Knights turned a close game into a rout with a 24-4 run over the last five minutes of the third quarter.

Five players scored in double figures, led by Sanks.

Scott Fraser scored 18, freshman Ryan Lang 13 off the bench and Jared Schrecengost and Brady McKee with 10 each.

Knoch has gotten more and more up-tempo since the beginning of the season and the points have come in flurries as a result.

“I think this is the most points we've scored since I've been the coach here,” McNabb said.

Sanks certainly enjoys the style.

“Once we get it clicking, I think we can be a scary team in the section,” he said.

Freeport 61, Eden Christian 45

It wasn't the kind of start Freeport coach Wayne Greiser was hoping for.

The Yellowjackets trailed Eden Christian 10-9 after an uneven first quarter.

But Freeport regrouped on the way to a rout.

“That's the nature of the game,” Greiser said. “We struggled at first, missed some easy shots that we normally make. But we bounced back and played pretty well from there.”

The Yellowjackets (5-2) used a 10-0 run to wrest the momentum away from Eden, turning a 14-11 deficit into a 24-14 lead. They were never seriously challenged after that.

Freeport's lone healthy senior, Jalen Brown, who was held to two points in the first half, finished with 15.

“He's the guy. He makes everything go offensively and defensively,” Greiser said. “He's either getting to the hoop or creating and finding guys.”

Three freshmen were key to Freeport's win.

Vinnie Clark scored eight, Jason Kijowski came off the bench to hit two big 3-pointers for six and Matt Aulicino added 12 and some key rebounds for the Yellowjackets.

“Aulicino was big all night on the boards and was in the right position on defense,” Greiser said. “He did a lot of good things tonight.”

The youth movement playing so well has given Greiser plenty to be optimistic about.

“Jason didn't get to play with us that much this summer, but Vinnie and Matt did,” Greiser said.

“It's definitely been a pleasant surprise,” Greiser added. “You look at us realistically, we're pretty inexperienced. Jalen's a three-year starter, but he's in a completely different role.”

EDEN CHRISTIAN 45

Gideon Manges 6-13 0-0 12, Warren Schooter 5-12 1-1 12, Eric Gronbeck 0-3 0-0 0, Drew Lipinski 1-7 0-0 2, Andrew Penrod 6-13 1-4 13, Markus Williams 2-4 0-0 4, Brandon Genzburg 0-1 0-0 0, Alex Cook 1-2 0-0 2. Totals: 21-55 2-5 45.

FREEPORT 61

Vinnie Clark 4-8 0-0 8, Jalen Brown 6-14 2-2 15, Garret Schaffhauser 3-12 0-2 6, Aiden Skradski 3-7 0-0 6, Nolan Plocki 4-7 0-0 8, Matt Aulicino 4-6 4-7 12, Christian Waronsky 0-0 0-0 0, Jason Kijowski 2-3 0-0 6, Daniel Lynch 0-0 0-0 0, Bradyn Clark 0-1 0-1 0, Cole Furer 0-0 0-0 0, Jarret Heilman 0-0 0-0 0, Cole Charlton 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 26-58 6-11 61.

Eden Christian 10 9 13 13 — 45

Freeport9 18 20 14 — 61

3-point goals: Eden Christian 1 (Schooter); Freeport 3 (Brown, Kijowski 2)

Friday: Kiski at Freeport, 6:30 p.m.

KNOCH 89

Julian Sanks 8-12 2-2 25, Jared Schrecengost 4-8 0-0 10, Scott Fraser 7-9 4-6 18, Jake Scheidt 2-3 0-0 4, Brady McKee 3-5 4-5 10, Ryan Lang 4-7 4-4 13, Adam Bajuszik 1-2 0-0 3, Rocky Kopac 1-2 0-0 2, Cole Lassinger 2-2 0-0 4, Braden Tristiani 0-0 0-0 0, Tyler Buterbaugh 0-0 0-0 0, Jack Skurka 0-0 0-0 0, Cole Green 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 32-51 14-17 89.

KISKI 52

Ryne Wallace 1-7 1-2 4, Nick Smith 3-6 4-4 10, Austin Schwarz 1-1 4-4 6, Max Heinle 1-3 0-0 3, Kyrell Hutcherson 3-8 3-9 9, Joe Lucas 2-6 0-0 6, Jason Baker 2-3 0-1 4, Andrew Mason 0-2 0-0 0, Logan McGarry 2-4 0-0 5, Tracy Morris 0-1 0-0 0, Jack Colecchi 0-0 0-0 0, Ian Chepkevich 0-1 0-0 0, Mason Bennett 1-1 0-0 2, Kyle Tipinski 1-1 0-0 3. Totals: 17-44 12-20 52.

Knoch 26 17 28 18 — 89

Kiski14 19 6 13 — 52

3-point goals: Knoch 11 (Sanks 7, Schrecengost 2, Lang, Bajuszik); Kiski 6 (Wallace, Heinle, Lucas, Tipinski, McGarry 2)

Friday: Eden Christian vs. Knoch at Freeport Tournament, 5 p.m.