UPDATE: Franklin will play Penn Cambria 2:30 p.m Saturday at Armstrong High School, 300 Buffington Drive, Kittening, Pa. 16201 for your GPS.
Jalen Wood led a balanced Franklin team into the next round of the PIAA 3A Basketball Championships with a 57-45 win over Our Lady of Sacred Heart.
Wood scored the first basket of Wednesday night’s game at Westminster College, later hit a clutch three-pointer to swing momentum back into Franklin’s favor, and near the end helped steal the ball to set up a layup that sealed the deal. Or as Wood said he “executed.”
The junior had a game-high 17 points on the night and stepped up when OLSH seemed to be keying their defensive efforts on his teammate Damon Curry.
“We share the ball a lot. We like to just give everyone options to score if they are open,” Wood said.
Along with Wood’s 17, Franklin’s recorded points from everyone who played during the first 31 minutes of the game, including 11 each by Curry and Cole Buckley, eight by Johnathan Leccia, six by Dreydan Payne and four by Ethan Owens.
“Kids were playing well,” coach Jason Fulmer said.
Wood scored the first basket of Wednesday night’s game at Westminster College, later hit a clutch three-pointer to swing momentum back into Franklin’s favor, and near the end helped steal the ball to set up a layup that sealed the deal. Or as Wood said he “executed.”
The junior had a game-high 17 points on the night and stepped up when OLSH seemed to be keying their defensive efforts on his teammate Damon Curry.
“We share the ball a lot. We like to just give everyone options to score if they are open,” Wood said.
Along with Wood’s 17, Franklin’s recorded points from everyone who played during the first 31 minutes of the game, including 11 each by Curry and Cole Buckley, eight by Johnathan Leccia, six by Dreydan Payne and four by Ethan Owens.
“Kids were playing well,” coach Jason Fulmer said.
      | Franklin took early control of the game on a tip off that flew out of bounds. Wood put up the first two, followed by Buckley about a minute later. Leccia then scored on the first of several put backs and the Knights were up 6-0 with less than three minutes off the clock. OLSH hit a three to finally get some points on the board, but Wood quickly answered with Franklin’s first trey of the night. The teams exchanged field goals and the Knights had an eight-point edge with two minutes to go in the first quarter. Then OLSH got into a groove and scored the next six points for draw within two. The Knights were up 13-11 at the start of the second quarter. That was as close as the Chargers ever came for the remainder of the contest. Franklin opened the second quarter with a six point run of their own, including a huge slam dunk by Leccia sandwiched in between baskets by Owens and Buckley. The dunk and the determination on Leccia’s face as he charged past three defenders on his way to the basket made a statement – Franklin came to win. That quarter, the Knights outscored the Chargers 21-6. Halfway through the quarter Curry landed his first shot of the game, a three-pointer, and the team seemed fully in control no matter what defense OLSH threw their way. By halftime, they had doubled up their opponents 34-17. Wood opened up the second half with the first two points. OLSH tried to chip away at the lead but Franklin continued to answer. Curry hit two three-pointers, Leccia and Payne scored on putbacks, and Franklin maintained their 17-point lead going into the fourth. Then the Chargers made their final push opening the quarter with a seven-point run to draw within 10. Just as it seemed that momentum might be slipping away from Franklin, Wood downed his third trey of the night. The Knights came alive again on offense. Owens put up a wide open layup off a fast break at the 4:30 mark. Curry echoed the effort 15 seconds later off a steal created by Owens and Wood. Buckley fired a field goal 45 seconds later. And like icing on the cake, Wood finished Franklin’s attack with two more bringing Franklin’s total effort to 57. While the offensive strike kept fans cheering loudly, Wood and Fulmer credited the other side of the game with creating the win. |
“We ultimately played really well on defense, which going to win us games throughout this tournament,” Wood said.
“John around the rim is such a big impact,” Fulmer said. Leccia had three blocks in the first half including one where his hand appeared higher than the box. “That was a phenomenal block,” Fulmer said.
The strong defense meant the Knights could slow down the offense to make adjustments to the OLSH’s changing court strategy. “We put our thinking caps on the last six practices,” Fulmer said, adding that preparations for the most recent game meant learning how to combat a long list of zone defenses used by the Chargers. “… The kids have done a great job. They all sucked it up in just two days,” he said.
“John around the rim is such a big impact,” Fulmer said. Leccia had three blocks in the first half including one where his hand appeared higher than the box. “That was a phenomenal block,” Fulmer said.
The strong defense meant the Knights could slow down the offense to make adjustments to the OLSH’s changing court strategy. “We put our thinking caps on the last six practices,” Fulmer said, adding that preparations for the most recent game meant learning how to combat a long list of zone defenses used by the Chargers. “… The kids have done a great job. They all sucked it up in just two days,” he said.
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On top of everything else, Fulmer said the large crowd of Franklin fans including the hefty student section known as “The Frenzy,” has added to the energized atmosphere the of Knights’ playoff experience.
“They’re obviously excited about us,” he said of the community support. “They bring a lot of energy and that is what we feed off of.”
Fulmer summed up the Franklin’s 18th consecutive win by saying “We kept our cool. They made a little run at us. We bounced back. Guys had some big shots... And that’s what we talk about - if we keep our foot on the pedal and still score, they can’t catch us.”
“They’re obviously excited about us,” he said of the community support. “They bring a lot of energy and that is what we feed off of.”
Fulmer summed up the Franklin’s 18th consecutive win by saying “We kept our cool. They made a little run at us. We bounced back. Guys had some big shots... And that’s what we talk about - if we keep our foot on the pedal and still score, they can’t catch us.”
The Knight's move into the round of eight to face the District 6 champion Penn Cambria Saturday at a time and place to be determined. The Panthers, who are now 23-5 on the season defeated Steel Valley Wednesday 66-59.
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