It was another strong season for Panther women’s hoops.
With a 16-10 record and a second-place finish in the Mountain Seven Conference, 2022-23 was the type of season fans have come to expect from Franklin. After five Panthers including four first-team selections were named to this year’s All-M7C team, last week The Franklin Press recounted the seasons of three of these honorees, with the final two listed below.
Avery Moffitt
Franklin’s center/power forward and enforcer in the middle, Avery Moffitt once again did her team’s dirty work this year. On offense, the junior scored many of the Panthers’ toughest baskets, often battling multiple defenders for contested short-range looks. Despite this, Moffitt’s 44% field goal percentage led all Panthers and tied for fourth conference-wide, while her 181 points and 7.2 points per game both ranked fourth on the team. This ability to fight through contact also made her prolific on the boards, as her 135 rebounds and 5.4 rebounds per game both ranked second on the team and 11th conference-wide.
On defense, Moffitt excelled at gumming up the works of opposing offenses, often thwarting shots before they happened with steals and held balls. The junior’s 28 steals ranked third on the team and her 27 deflections ranked fourth.
“Man, what a worker,” said coach Scott Hartbager of the rising senior. “She works so hard inside. She was our main force on the boards rebounding the ball, playing really good defense, doing all the little things for us. She scored when she needed to, and she did all the little things for us that got us to where we were.”
Cali Queen
When Cali Queen joined the varsity team as a freshman in 2021, many felt she had the potential to become one of the team’s best players. Two years later, Queen has more than lived up to the hype, running the team’s offense at point guard and frustrating opponents on defense. Equally at home shooting from distance or driving to the rim, the sophomore was one of Franklin’s most dangerous scorers, ranking second on the team and seventh conference-wide with 9.2 points per game. She tied Madi Gilbert for second on the team with nine 3-pointers made. A classic do-it-all point guard, Queen also led the team with 39 assists, ranking ninth in the conference with 1.8 assists per game.
On the other end, the sophomore joined Tori Ensley to create the conference’s most feared defensive backcourt, often intercepting opponents’ passes for wide-open fast-break buckets. Her 87 steals led all Panthers and ranked fourth conference-wide, while her 67 rebounds and six blocks both ranked fourth on the team.
“She picked it up when Tori went down, and became a little bit of a floor leader,” said Hartbarger. “She averaged 14 points for us per game after that, and really stepped up and had a great sophomore year. I’m looking for really good things from her the next two years.”