Panther women’s hoops are 2-1 in the Mountain Eight.
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. In routing the Blue Devils they earned their second straight blowout win.
On Dec. 16 the Panthers traveled to Brevard for their first-ever Mountain Eight Conference game with the Blue Devils. Franklin came out firing in the first, scoring 18 of the game’s first 22 points. Bristol Brooks posted 13 points and two steals to end the quarter up 27-11.
Franklin’s defense harassed Brevard in the second, racking up six steals, a block and two loose balls. Brooks added eight more points on the other end for a 46-15 halftime lead.
Both offenses slowed down somewhat in the third, headlined by Layla Maloy’s third 3-pointer of the game. Aubrey Newsome added eight points down the stretch en route to a 66-20 rout.
Three nights later the Panthers traveled to Pisgah for a rematch of last year’s Mountain Seven Conference final. There both teams looked evenly matched early on, trading points back and forth throughout the first. Anna Stiles posted two steals and two points to end the quarter down 13-11.
Pisgah heated up in the second, scoring its first nine points despite a block from Finley Moffitt. Franklin’s offense cooled down on the other end, finishing the half down 31-14.
Brooks harassed the Black Bear offense in the third, racking up three steals and a basket. Her efforts weren’t enough to slow the home team down however, as Pisgah went on to win 60-30.
The loss dropped Franklin’s record to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in the Mountain Eight, where they ended the week in third behind Pisgah (3-0) and West Henderson (2-0). They traveled to Western Carolina University Dec. 22 for a nonconference game with Erwin in the third annual Catamount Clash.