The Franklin boys started fast and finished strong. And they played pretty well in the middle stages of the game, too. "District play is what matters," said Franklin's Reese Glover, who scored a game-high 22 points in the boys' game. "Obviously, we try to give it our all in every game, but district games always mean a little more. And this was probably one of the best games we've played so far this season." Building a double-digit lead early in the game and continuing to press the gas from there, the Rebels rolled to the 11-AAA victory to improve to 7-2 overall.
Reese Glover scored a game-high 22 points, Ahsharri Haynesworth added 16 and Matt Thurman had 11 to lead the way for Franklin. Jordan Bruce added three 3-pointers and finished with nine points for the Rebels, who led 37-19 at the half and then opened the third quarter with a 15-5 spurt to further pad the advantage. "I felt like tonight we were really interested in playing," said Franklin coach Darrin Joines. "And you've got to be that way in this district. I'm very proud of our team. I felt like we were very focused defensively. It was probably the best defensive game we've had."
Nate Hollman provided a steady presence in the paint for Page, finishing with a team-high 14 points. But the Patriots were unable to find a consistent rhythm from long range, and finished 4-of-23 from behind the arc. Page and Franklin split their two meetings in the regular season last season. "Page is a team that beat us pretty bad at their place last year, and honestly, they could have beaten us here, too," said Joines. "They're a tough team. And we knew we had to bring that same toughness to the game — and I felt like we did that."
Glover helped set the tone early, connecting on a pair of 3-pointers in the first quarter, and Haynesworth added six points in the period, including a thunderous dunk, as Franklin jumped out to a 17-8 lead. The tempo picked up on both ends in the second quarter, with Franklin outscoring Page 20-11 to build its 37-19 halftime lead. But the Rebels knew they could ill-afford to relax. "We knew we had to play a full game," said Glover. "Basketball is a game of runs, and we knew Page was going to make a run — and we needed to stifle it. And we did that well tonight." Opening the second half with a 15-5 run, the Rebels extended the lead to 52-24 and stayed comfortably in front from there.
BOX SCORE: BOYS
Page – 8 11 12 6 — 37
Franklin – 17 20 21 11 — 69
Page (37) – Cyphers 6, Burrow 2, Simmons 6, Seaman 6, Shaw 3, Nate Hollman 14.
Franklin (69) – Ahsharri Haynesworth 17, Reese Glover 22, Kemp 2, Bruce 9, Beavon 3, Matt Thurman 11, Sanchez 6.
3-pointers — Page 4 (Cyphers 2, Simmons 2). Franklin 8 (Glover 4, Bruce 3, Beavon 1).
Free throws — Page 5-10. Franklin 11-12.
Source: Williamson Herald