Panther JV girls hoops are contenders once again.
For the last five years, Bekah Brooks’ teams have been tough to beat, making five trips to the conference finals and hoisting three tournament trophies. In falling one point short of starting this season 4-0, Brooks says she’s been encouraged by her team so far.
“I’ve got a great group of girls,” said Brooks of this year’s squad. “Through the preseason, [we’ve been] trying to figure out and work on us a little bit. We haven’t played many games, but when we’ve been put in game situations, we’ve excelled in a couple of those. We did some good things against Cherokee and Rabun County, and of course we fell short last night [Dec. 19] by one point.”
In nonconference games against Cherokee and Rabun and a Mountain Seven win over East Henderson, the first part of the JV girls’ season went off without a hitch. Despite a 50-49 loss to Tuscola in their second conference game, Brooks says the team has everything it needs to get back on track after Christmas.
“It happens when you get out of your routine without being in school, and you kind of have to make decisions on your own throughout the day,” said Brooks of the final exam week game. “That’s a very good Tuscola team, but we’ve got a phenominal group. We’ve got a lot of different tools with some post [players] and some point guards, so I’ve really been proud of them. They’ve really showed up and tried really, really hard, and I truly believe that by watching film from last night and working on some things that next time around it may be a different ballgame.”
After ending the third quarter down 39-31, the Panthers nearly came back to beat Tuscola, missing a last-second shot that would have given them the win. With Franklin’s star freshman point guard now in the varsity starting five, Brooks says her first-year players have had to change their style of play.
“The thing with them is, growing up in middle school they had Audrey [Pressley] and other people to fill that point guard role,” she said. “They’re trying to be their own and play some different positions for this team, and mix in with the sophomores. My sophomores have stepped up in a big way to help lead and guide them, but they’re working hard. I’ve been super-proud of them and their consistency with being there – it’s easy to say, ‘Well, we ain’t got a game in two weeks,’ but they show up to practice, and that’s all I can ask.
After falling to Tuscola, the team won’t play again until the new year, traveling to Andrews Jan. 3 and then to Pisgah Jan. 5. The game versus Pisgah might be a preview of the conference final, which Brooks says should reveal their readiness for the rest of the season.
“Pisgah will be a good test. That’s gonna be the Friday before we go back in January,” she said. “They’ll be at the top of the conference again with the kids that they have, so that will be a really good test for us, too. Tuscola and I think West [Henderson] will also be very competitive.”