The tenacious Rocky Grove boys basketball team used control on both ends of the court to defeat the Franklin Knights for the first time in nearly four decades.

The back-and-forth battle at the Castle on Saturday night featured 12 lead changes and eight ties ending with e 70-65 victory for the Orioles.
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Franklin held an 18-17 advantage after one quarter.

Rocky Grove led 34-29 at halftime, 47-46 after the third. Both team exploded for a combine 42 points in the final stanza.

Franklin’s largest lead was 18-12 in the first quarter, while Rocky Grove accumulated a 57-46 margin after opening the fourth quarter with a 10-point run.
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Down the stretch it was the disparity in team foul totals that gave the Orioles the upper hand.

With just under three minutes to play, Franklin recorded their fifth foul, while Rocky Grove only had one.

This situation contributed to the Orioles at the foul line six times in the remaining minutes versus Franklin only shooting free throws.
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The Knights closed the gap to three points twice in the last 30 seconds, but the Orioles answered each time, to keep control of the scoreboard.

It is the first time the smaller school defeated their larger neighbor since Dec. 19, 1986, according to local sports guru Tom Reisenweber of the Erie Times-News.
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The 1,000-point senior duo of Landen Carter and Noah Baughman lead the offensive attack for the Orioles.

Carter netted 32 and Baughman had 19

Jameson Wofford was top among the Knight scorers with 22.
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The Dick Russell Memorial Tournament was planned for a Friday night start, but with the threat of an approaching ice storm the organizers simply moved those games to Monday

The Franklin Knights hosted the Meadville Bulldogs for a back-and-forth battle in The Castle that came down to the difference in free throw percentages. 

The first three minutes of the game looked like it would be a runaway victory for the Knights. Three minutes later, the Bulldogs, led by Amarius Foster, were back in the fight, dominating the court with a 14-2 run to close out the first stanza with a 16-13 edge. 

In the second quarter, Nolan Parry hit four points in the opening minute of the second quarter to help Franklin reclaim the lead at 17-16. 

Before the first half ended, Meadville tied the game at 27 with less than 90 seconds to go. Two more buckets from the Knights, and Franklin walked to the locker room with a 31-27 lead. 

The Knights increased the margin to 10 points as all five starters (Parry, Josiah Rodriguez, Nate Fezell, Jameson Wofford, Ian Higley) contributed to the offensive attack.  

Once again, Meadville fought back to close the gap to only three with 2:30 left to play. The Bulldogs won the quarter with 23 points, including nine from Foster. But late game foul trouble was too much for the team to overcome and the free throw line provided the difference.

At the 35 second mark, Keithen Arnold hit two free throws to pull Meadville within three, as Franklin held a 60-57 advantage. The Knights went seven for eight down the stretch to hang on for the 67-60 win. 

Overall, the Knights shot 87.5% from the line (14 for 16) and the Bulldogs hit 66.6% (12 for 18).  

Foster had a game-high 19 points. Arnold recorded 17 on the night. 

Franklin was led by Wofford with 17 and Fezell with 11. 

​​Titusville tapped into the depth of their bench, fortitude of their players and a tough full-court press to defeat Cranberry to take the title at the Roy Sanner Tournament at Rocky Grove High School Saturday.

The title game started as a back-and-forth defensive battle between the two teams who also met in the championship game last year. 
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The Berries struck first and recorded the first five points. Molly Covell and Kasey Krepps answered for the Rockets, but Cranberry won the foul-riddled first quarter 9-7.

The second quarter, however, belonged to Titusville. At the 6:11 mark, the Rockets tied the game at 11 with a bucket by Addie Burleigh. It was the start of a 14-point run, mostly the product of a steely full-court press, five consecutive steals and several quick passes.  

With 1:14 left in the half, Titusville had extended its lead to 13 on a three-pointer by Kennedy Baker. Cranberry responded with a bucket plus 1 at the buzzer and the Rockets went into the locker room with a 26-16 edge. 
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The second half was a little more of the same for the Rockets, aggressive play defensively and outpacing the Berries on offensive, but with a twist - point guard Molly Covell was playing with four fouls. 

The Rockets were riddled with players with multiple fouls, the side-effect of aggressive play.

​Burleigh hit six of her game total 12 points in the third quarter to help Titusville gain a 39-25 advantage.

But the Berries had more fight left in them. They outscored the Rockets 16-2 in the first half of the final stanza. The game was 41-all with 4:17 left to play and the Rockets were without starter Norah Blakeslee who had fouled out. 
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Krepps powered through to break the tie just as the energy wave seemed to have turned Cranberry's way. 

Titusville regained the lead 43-41, but lost starter Mariah Covell 20 seconds later when she joined Blakeslee on the bench due to fouls. 

Krepps answered again with another two points.

Cranberry fought back and the teams were tied at 46 with 51 seconds to play.

Baker sunk a three at the :35 mark and the Rockets took control once again. The Rockets held Cranberry scoreless for the remainder of the game and Burleigh hit both of her free throws with under 10 seconds left to seal the 51-46 victory.
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Admittedly foul trouble played a role in the second half of the game, according to head coach Sarah Weigel, "They turned it (defense) down a little bit," she said, noting that they also found times to turn the intensity back up as needed.

"They're learning how to find that balance."  

Burleigh, who finished with 12 points, was named the tournament MVP. "She's fast, and if we can get her the ball and she's finishing and she's making her free throws... she's clutch when we need her," Weigel said. "In these pressure situations, she's good at that." 

Krepps, who was named to the all-tournament team, scored a game-high 17 points. "If this is where we are already, I can't wait for her this season. It's going to be good," Weigel said.
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Baker had eight, Molly Covell had six and Blakeslee and Brooklyn Whitman each had four.

The bench played a key role in the game despite being shorthanded with Nora Lesko, a scrappy defender and good ball handler sitting out after getting hurt in collision Friday night in the opening round. 
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The Rockets had advanced to the championship game after a 45-11 win over Rocky Grove on Friday night. 

It was the first games of the year for the Rockets, who stand at 2-0.
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"It was a great start to the season," Weigel said. Her team will be back on the court Monday night with JV and varsity games at Seneca High School.