Andy Scheidler
sports@thefranklinpress.com
Franklin achieved a rare feat during Saturday’s season-opening 81-52 win at Highlands.
All five starters for the boys scored in double figures.
“That’s the first time that’s happened in a long time,” coach Doug Plemmons said.
The Panthers’ starters accounted for 70 of their 81 points.
Griffin Green led the way with 19. The sophomore transferred to Franklin from Highlands in the summer.
Plemmons said the Panthers were focused as a team playing against Highlands, but he was happy to see Green do well against his former school.
“Obviously, he had a good game,” Plemmons said, “and it was important to him.”
Miles McClure and Chad Wilson added 14 points apiece. Trey Penland scored 13, while Isaiah Johns accounted for 10.
This is Plemmon’s third season since returning at the helm, and it’s the first time in that span the Panthers put all five players in double figures.
The coach, who’s in his 19th season at FHS and 29th overall, set another milestone. It was his 300th victory.
Plemmons became the school’s all-time wins leader a year ago when he passed Tom Raby, who had 285 victories.
“I’m proud of that,” Plemmons said. “It’s kind of the same thing as when I broke the record for most wins. It’s an accumulation of a lot of things: good players down through the years, lots of good help from assistant coaches, and being able to be relatively successful for an extended period of time.”
Plemmons racked up 199 victories in Jackson County before he came to Franklin in 1993. He sits at 499 career wins heading into Thursday’s game at Cherokee.
Franklin started slowly against the Highlanders (1-3). The Panthers led 16-14 after the first quarter.
“I thought we shared the ball well and moved the ball,” Plemmons said. “Highlands started out in a zone. Rather than taking quick shots, we worked the ball around and got really good looks against zone.”
The Panthers began to apply pressure defensively in the second quarter.
“We were able to cause turnovers and get out in transition,” Plemmons said. “We got the offense going more that way.”
The Panthers did a good job defensively, and made sure to prevent second-chance opportunities by clearing the glass. They also rebounded well offensively, Plemmons said, getting several putbacks.
Working on their man-to-man defense is a point of emphasis.
“I know there will come a time we have to play man-to-man, and I’d really like to do that,” Plemmons said. “It’s not where I want it to be right now. That’s nothing against what we’re doing; we have an effective press and trap. At the same time, I think we’ll work hard on that.”
Another area for improvement is feeding the post. The Panthers have had perimeter-oriented teams in recent year, so they’re still getting accustomed to looking inside.
While they have good perimeter players once again, the size advantage inside will be significant against certain teams.
“I’d like for them to look inside quicker,” Plemmons said. “Give the post guys a chance to do some stuff before the defense adjusts. We’ll work hard on that this week.”
Thursday’s game at Cherokee is the only contest on tap this week for FHS.
The Braves are slated to play three times this week: Tuesday at Robbinsville, Thursday against FHS and Friday at Rosman.
Plemmons at FHS
1993-94: 19-8 (8-0 WAC – first)
1994-95: 22-6 (4-4 WAC– second; tourney champs)
1995-96: 21-5 (6-2 WAC – second; tourney champs)
1996-97: 24-4 (8-0 WAC – first; tourney champs)
1997-98: 19-6 (12-0 WAC – first)
1998-99: 22-7 (8-4 WAC)
1999-00: 21-6 10-2 WAC – second)
2000-01: 22-6 (10-2 WAC – first)
2001-02: 10-15 (5-11 MAC)
2002-03: 10-14 (7-9 MAC)
2003-04: 14-12 (8-8 MAC – fifth)
2004-05: 18-11 (8-8 MAC – fifth)
2005-06: 18-10 (6-6 MAC – third)
2006-07: 5-19 (0-12 MAC – seventh)
2007-08: 12-12 (5-7 MAC – fifth)
2008-09: 8-17 (0-12 MAC – seventh)
2017-18: 16-8 (7-3 MSC – third)
2018-19: 18-8 (7-3 MSC – second)
Totals: 299-174 (119-93 conference)