Panther men’s hoops are off to a hot start.
After beating East Henderson in their first conference game Dec. 12, on the week of Dec. 15 Franklin continued their Mountain Eight schedule, hosting Brevard and traveling to Pisgah. With wins over the Blue Devils and Black Bears, the Panthers took sole possession of first place at 3-0.
On Dec. 16, they welcomed Brevard to Tom Raby Court for their first-ever Mountain Eight game with the Blue Devils. There Will Rauers and Jack Teesateskie came out firing, scoring Franklin’s first 16 points with eight apiece. On the other end the Panthers racked up four steals and a block to end the quarter with a 24-7 lead.
Lance Parker turned red-hot in the second, posting 15 points, a steal and an assist. Rauers added six points and three steals to end the half up 52-22.
The Panthers kept their foot on the gas in the third, getting six points apiece from Gunner McConnell and Jake Pendergrass. Franklin’s second unit took the court in the fourth to close out a 77-49 rout.
Three nights later the Panthers traveled to Pisgah for another conference game. There the Black Bears shot out of the gate, scoring 10 of the game’s first 13 points. Franklin soon responded however, sinking five straight 3-pointers including three from Peyton Hervey to end the first quarter with a 19-14 lead.
Franklin stayed hot in the second, scoring eight of its 10 to press their advantage. They ended the quarter with another five straight 3-pointers to end the half up 42-28.
Pisgah answered to start the third, scoring its first eight points to cut their deficit to six. Teesateskie soon caught fire however, posting 12 straight points to re-extend Franklin’s lead to 14. The senior added seven points, a block and a steal in the fourth to win 79-68.
The victory improved Franklin’s record to 6-1 overall and 3-0 in the Mountain Eight, where they ended the game ahead of 2-0 Smoky Mountain for first place. They traveled to Western Carolina University Dec. 22 for a nonconference game with Erwin in the annual Catamount Clash.