Serrano’s Franklin and Tonic form a potent combination

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Pennsylvania guard Harrison Gaines had 12 assists in his first game for the three-time Ivy League champions, one shy of the school record.

What does that have to do with the Inland Empire?

His graduation from Serrano has opened the door for Jamaal Franklin and James Tonic to strut their stuff and finally see their names in the local paper.

You see, Gaines wasn’t much of an assists guy last season, other than dumping it inside to Durrell Norman now and then. Together, Gaines and Norman combined to take 45% percent of the team’s shots, leaving scraps for everyone else.

Franklin, a 6-foot-5 razor-thin junior wing who’s averaging 22.7 points and 8.2 rebounds, has been a model of consistency in the scoring column. His lowest-scoring game is 15 points, and that was in the season opener.

Tonic, a 5-10 senior combo guard, is averaging 18.6 points and 4.8 assists. He scored 37 in the season-opening 86-84 victory over San Gorgonio.

The Diamondbacks will try to go 2-0 in Mojave River League play Wednesday night at 6 p.m., when they travel to Rim of the World. I’m afraid the best the Fighting Scots can hope for is that Franklin and Tonic go as cold as this guy.

-- Dan Arritt

-- Image from www.theopendoorco.co.uk