By Andy Scheidler

Press photo/Andy Scheidler Tanner Plemmons (12) signals an intentional foul after Nantahala was whistled for the violation when Plemmons stole the ball in the closing seconds of Friday's game. Plemmons made four free throws to seal the win against Nantahala. Franklin also picked up a road victory Saturday against Robbinsville to improve to 8-7.

sports@thefranklinpress.com

It would have been easy for the Franklin boys basketball team to fold in both games over the weekend.

The Panthers held leads throughout games against Nantahala and Robbinsville, only to find themselves trailing in the final minute. But clutch baskets and free throws helped the Panthers pull out two victories to finish the non-conference portion of the season.

FHS (8-7) beat Nantahala 63-58, and topped Robbinsville 66-59. The Panthers have won four of their past five games. With only Mountain Athletic Conference games left, FHS finished 8-4 against non-conference foes.

"I think we gained some confidence, showed some maturing," coach Doug Plemmons said. "After having the lead most of the game, and the other team coming back on you and eventually taking the lead in the last minutes of game, sometimes teams will fold and get discouraged and kind of unravel. In both weekend games we were able to pull things together, execute and get some shots off down the stretch. And we were able to make some free throws to help ice the game."

Nantahala game

Franklin came out firing against the Hawks, pouring in 23 points in the opening quarter. Nantahala (12-3) responded in the second, narrowing the lead to two points.

FHS led by five points with six minutes to go in the game, and it remained close down the stretch.

The Hawks finally took the lead on a three-point play by Wesley Holden. His layup and free throw with 38.5 seconds left put Nantahala up, 58-57.

In a timeout, Plemmons called a play for junior forward Kyle Peck. After receiving the pass in the post, Peck turned around shot the ball over his defender. The bucket put Franklin ahead with 24.9 second remaining.

The Hawks took the ball down the court. Clay Wooten drove and found himself unable to get off a shot attempt in the paint, so in desperation he threw the ball out toward the top of the key. Tanner Plemmons grabbed the loose ball, and as he began to take off, Gavin Baldwin reached out and grabbed him.

The intentional foul set up a pair of free throws for the freshman. Though he struggled all game, Plemmons drained both attempts. He also hit two more after the ball was unbounded, helping ice the game for FHS.

"I was happy to see him make those down the stretch," coach Plemmons said. "It would have been very easy to let all that get in his head. And I think early on that probably did. But down the stretch he made them all."

The basket from Peck was pivotal. He finished with nine points in the contest, and was a game-time decision after twisting his ankle against Swain County a week prior.

Another play that excited the crowd happened in the first quarter, when freshman Dee Washington threw down a dunk. Washington got the ball on the right wing and drove to the hoop. A Nantahahla player tried drawing a charge, but Washington rose up and flushed the ball while drawing the foul. However, he wasn't able to convert the three-point play.

The game marked the first time Franklin and Nantahala played one another during Plemmons' tenure of 16 years. He said the two schools will meet again next year at Nantahala provided the Hawks want to continue the series.

Nail biters: FHS wins close games

Robbinsville game

FHS led most of game, only to see Robbinsville steal the lead on a 3-pointer with about one minute remaining. But Washington answered right back with a 3-pointer to put the Panthers ahead for good.

Free throws then helped seal the win.

Peck went 5-for-6 at the line in the fourth quarter, while Clint McManus was 3-for-4.

Plemmons was 8-for-15 at the charity stripe for the game, giving him 30 attempts in two games. But his coach/father would like to see a much higher percentage, as the freshman made 15 of the 30 attempts.

The Panthers got into early foul trouble against the Black Knights, requiring Parrish Young, Jacob Young and Ethan Elliott to play heavier minutes off the bench.

"We really needed them in this game due to foul problems," Plemmons said. "They came in and really did a good job for us."

Another month of action remains in the regular season, with conference action on Tuesdays and Fridays. FHS will travel to Asheville Friday in the first meeting with the Cougars.

Franklin 63, Nantahala 58

Nantahala: Josh Griffith 5-23 3-3 14, Nathan Postell 1-6 0-0 2, Wesley Holden 3-9 2-7 8, John Mitchell 3-14 1-2 9, Gavin Baldwin 5-16 0-0 15, Clay Wooten 4-8 0-0 8, Jordan West 0-1 0-3 0, Justin Solesbee 1-1 0-0 2, Brandon Morgan 0-2 0-0 0, Woody Passmore 0-1 0-0 0. Totals: 21-80 6-15 58.

Franklin: Clint McManus 3-21 1-3 10, Dee Washington 5-9 1-2 12, Sean Hall 3-4 0-2 6, Tanner Plemmons 5-17 7-15 19, Hamilton Boxberger 2-4 3-3 7, Kyle Peck 4-8 0-0 9. Totals: 23-63 12-25 63.

3-point field goals: Nantahala 8-31 (Baldwin 5-13, Mitchell 2-5, Griffith 1-8, Wooten 0-4, Passmore 0-1), Franklin 7-26 (McManus 3-13, Plemmons 2-9, Peck 1-2, Washington 1-2).