It was a pulse-pounding week for Panther men’s hoops.
Rapidly nearing the end of the season, Franklin settled in for a two-game home stand, hosting Mountain Seven rivals Pisgah and North Henderson on Tom Raby Court. After beating Pisgah but falling to North in a pair of white-knuckle last-minute finishes, the 6-4 Panthers sat in fourth place in the conference with three games left to play.
On Tuesday, Jan. 30, the team hosted Pisgah in a packed house on Tom Raby Court. Seeking revenge for their nine-point loss in Canton Jan. 5, the Black Bears shot out of the gate in the first. Despite four points apiece from Max McClure and Braylen Dezarn, Franklin ended the quarter down 20-10.
McClure kicked the Panthers into gear to start the second, posting eight points and a steal in its first two minutes. Dezarn added six more points including a deft off-balance finish to cut Pisgah’s halftime lead to 37-31.
Franklin kept chipping away at Pisgah’s lead throughout the third, getting six points, a steal, an assist and an out-of-bounds save from freshman Will Rauers. Dezarn added eight more points to tough defense inside from Brayden Hervey, ending the quarter down just 55-53.
Both teams remained locked in a dogfight in the fourth, with six points from Rauers and four from Noah Brannon keeping the Panthers within range. Up 71-67 with 1:39 to play, the Bears seemed poised to put the game out of reach, until Rauers tied the score again with a four-point play.
At just under a minute, McClure drained a 3-pointer from the left corner, only for Pisgah to return the favor moments later. Tied at 74 with 22 seconds to play, an already-raucous Tom Raby Court reached a fever pitch.
Pisgah employed a full-court press on the ensuing inbound pass, attempting to force an ill-timed Panther turnover. In double-teaming Franklin’s ball handlers however, the Bears left a wide-open 3-point look for McClure, whom Dezarn found with a timely pass to give his team a three-point lead. With three seconds to play, Pisgah missed a game-tying 3-point attempt thanks in part to tough defense from Rauers.
“I can’t explain it – that’s awesome,” said McClure after the game. “We fought as hard as we could coming out of halftime. We knew we were down, and coach just said no matter what happens, you’ve just got to go out there and play your heart out and give it all you’ve got, so that’s what we did. I’m proud of our team. We trusted each other. William made big shots, Noah made big shots down the stretch, and that’s what won it for us. We all came together as one; it was awesome.”
After their thrilling win over Pisgah, on Feb. 2 the Panthers returned to Tom Raby Court to host North Henderson. With both teams entering the game tied for third at 6-3 in the conference, the meeting held outsized importance for seeding in the M7C Tournament.
In a rematch of Franklin’s 70-58 win Dec. 10, the first quarter quickly devolved into a defensive slugfest. Rauers posted a steal, an assist and two points to help end the quarter down 11-9.
Brannon turned red-hot to start the second, pouring in 10 points including Franklin’s first eight in the quarter. North kept pace on the other end, closing the half up 24-22.
Senior guard Reed Raby did Franklin’s dirty work in the third, taking a hard charge on the defensive end and adding two points and one assist. Raby’s efforts weren’t enough to overtake North however, ending the quarter down 37-34.
Both teams remained neck-and-neck throughout the fourth, wherein North took a 46-44 lead with just 23 seconds to play. On the ensuing possession, McClure tied the game with an impressive off-balance layup, but missed an “and-one” free throw to give his team the win.
Brannon led the Panthers in the four-minute overtime period, combining three points and one assist with strong defense at the other end. North heated up in the final minutes though, winning 57-53. The loss dropped Franklin to 13-7 overall, ahead of a trip to Smoky Mountain after press time Feb. 6.