 | Well, that was a little sloppy. Not something typically said about the Franklin Knights basketball team. But Tuesday night in the House of Hustle, it seemed to be a reoccurring theme. Aggressive defense by Mercyhurst Prep held the Knights to just 13 points in the first quarter and only 10 in the second. Franklin struggled to hit shots inside the paint, was stymied by the full-court press at times, failed to convert offensive rebounds into baskets and found themselves in foul trouble. Heading into the locker room at the half, The Knights had only a five-point lead at 23-18. Then they rested, regouped and found their groove. |
| Jalen Wood got things started in the second half with five points in a little more than a minute. Damon Curry, who was held scoreless in the first half, followed suit with a three-pointer of his own. Just like that, the Knights were in control of the game. Franklin's defense held the Lakers in check, allowing only a few foul shots for the first seven minutes of the half. Meanwhile, the Knights shared the wealth among teammates as all five starters scored as they racked up 31 points in eight minutes. By the close of the third, they had a commanding 54-25 lead. Within 30 seconds of the fourth, the running clock was in play and the two teams had settled into a rhythm of trading baskets. The Lakers were never able to close the gap to lower than 25 points down the stretch. With reserves out of the court for the final two minutes, Franklin (20-4) walked away with a 69-43 victory and the opportunity to meet Girard (22-2) in the District 10 3A Championship Friday night. The time and location have not been announced. Wood ended the night with a game-high 28 points. Curry and Dreyden Payne had 11 apiece. Cole Buckley contributed eight. Damarco Payne had six, Gavin Eakin had three and Will Findlan had two. |    |
Below are more photos from Franklin's win Tuesday night in Oil City.
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