Andy Scheidler
sports@thefranklinpress.com
The inability to handle pressure effectively is a source of concern at the moment for Franklin’s boys basketball team.
Committing too many turnovers against Hendersonville and Tuscola led to a pair of road losses last week.
The Tuscola loss was particularly deflating considering the Panthers led by 13 points going into the fourth quarter. Ten FHS turnovers in the period, combined with Nate Brafford pouring 33 points, helped fuel a massive comeback for the Mountaineers.
“For us it’s a matter of handling pressure – not just one player or position, but everybody helping out,” FHS coach Doug Plemmons said.
The Panthers ended the week on a positive note, however, beating Brevard 76-51. They adjusted a few things when breaking a full-court press and didn’t have problems against the Blue Devils.
“We’ll continue to work on that,” Plemmons said. “I feel like we’re shooting the ball well from the free-throw line and we’re shooting it well from the field. If we can get the ball across half court, we’re pretty effective. We’ll continue to work and make the changes necessary needed to get a grip handling full-court pressure. If we can get that squared away, we’re in a good place.”
Franklin’s record stood at 11-3 overall and 1-1 in the Mountain Six Conference coming into this week. The Panthers were ranked No. 32 in Class 2-A according to MaxPreps.com.
Griffin Green got hot from the outside against Brevard. The sophomore drained six 3-pointers and scored a season-high 26 points.
Green has shown a propensity for draining buzzer-beating 3s this season, and he did it once again. With the clock winding down in the third quarter, Green took a couple dribbles in front of the Franklin bench before rising up and draining a deep 3. He let out a roar as the fans gave their approval.
“Griffin shot the ball well,” Plemmons said. “He’s kinda been in a little slump from outside. He popped out of it the other night, so that was good for him to get that going again.”
Miles McClure posted a double-double, scoring 18 and grabbing 10 boards.
Trey Penland nearly matched his sophomore classmate, scoring 16 points on 8-for-9 shooting and snagging nine rebounds.
Isaiah Johns dished out seven assists, while Green had six. Johns and Green also led the way with three steals apiece.
The Panthers had to switch defenses after Brevard kept getting layups against the half-court trap. Forward Drew Scott scored their first 16 points, mostly by hanging out on the right block and waiting for a pass.
“We went to a 2-3 zone, which is something we have not used,” Plemmons said. “We’ve worked on zone principles a lot in practices, but we haven’t used it very much. I thought it matched up with what they were trying to do. It quieted down their inside stuff and forced them to shoot from the outside.”
Shooting from the outside is something Tuscola junior Nate Brafford enjoys. After scoring only five points through three quarters, he exploded for 33 in the fourth.
Tuscola scored 39 in the fourth quarter to go from trailing by 13 to winning by seven.
Plemmons, who’s in his 29th year as a varsity head coach, said it’s the most points he ever recalls a player scoring in a quarter. And it’s the most points he ever remembers another team scoring against one of his teams.
The Panthers played one of their best games for the first three quarters, Plemmons said. But Tuscola’s pressure got to them and they turned it over 10 times.
“It was just one of those perfect storms for them,” he said. “Like I said, we contributed with our turnovers. You kind of got to take your hat off to him and them. They did what they needed to do to grab the win.”
Brafford, who is 6-foot-7, is averaging close to 40 points per game. The Panthers held him to 26 in the first meeting and won by one. It looked like he would finish well below his average – until the final quarter.
He made nine field goals – four of which were 3-pointers – and went 11-for-12 at the free-throw line.
“He was able to shake loose a few times and get fouled,” Plemmons said. “He started seeing ball go through the basket. A lot of his shots came off turnovers. They’d quickly get the ball to him before we could get back and set on defense. The rest came from him setting up. He’s so tall that a lot of times he was just shooting over the top of us.”
The Panthers started off MSC play with a 64-60 loss to Hendersonville. They led by one with three minutes to go, but didn’t score again. The Bearcats hit a corner 3-pointer to go with two free throws to pull out the victory.
FHS finished 1-for-12 from behind the arc.
The loss snapped a nine-game winning streak.
Plemmons said the Panthers knew it would be a tough week.
“With Hendersonville and Tuscola in the same week, that’s two of the tougher teams on the schedule,” he said, “so we’d knew it would be hard with both being away.”
McClure poured in a career-high 34 points. The sophomore went 13-for-18 from the field and 8-for-10 at the charity stripe. He also grabbed 12 rebounds.
Hendersonville is the two-time defending conference champ. Smoky Mountain knocked off the Bearcats on Friday, which was good for the Panthers.
After playing at East Henderson on Tuesday, the Panthers will play Friday at Pisgah. They’ll also be on the road next Tuesday when playing the Mustangs.
Plemmons said Pisgah and Smoky are big, physical teams. While they might try to apply pressure on the Panthers, he expects a different challenge.
“We’ll have to deal with their size and physicality more so than their quickness,” he said.