A successful regular season is in the books for Panther women’s hoops.
On the week of Feb. 3 the team played the final three games on their schedule, including conference matchups with Smoky Mountain and West Henderson. With three more wins including a record-setting performance from a senior, they improved to 14-9 ahead of the Mountain Seven Conference Tournament.
On Feb. 4, the team hosted Smoky Mountain on Tom Raby Court for a Senior Night Mountain Seven matchup. There Franklin’s four regular seniors (Aubrey Haley, McKenna Plemmons, Payton Baty and Jozy Dehart) started the game, as well as reigning Conference Defensive Player of the Year Cali Queen. Having torn her ACL, MCL and meniscus in a volleyball match last fall, Queen has missed the entirety of her senior basketball season, but joined a ceremonial starting lineup for tipoff.
In a rematch of Franklin’s 16-point win in Sylva last month, Baty and Bristol Brooks came out firing, combining for 12 points and a steal in the first. After calling timeout with Franklin up 14-5, Smoky ended the quarter down just 17-12.
Franklin’s shooters heated up in the second, starting the quarter with three straight 3-pointers including two from Layla Maloy. Katelyn Foster added a block and a steal to end the half up 33-26.
Franklin’s defense clamped down in the third, forcing four turnovers to add to their lead 49-36. Haley helped ice the game in the fourth, posting five points and a steal en route to a 59-50 win.
The next night they returned to Tom Raby Court for a clash with Swain. Both teams looked evenly matched to start the game, with Franklin up 15-12 after the first.
The Panthers dominated the second, getting 11 points and a steal from Brooks and Haley. On defense they held Swain to just two points to end the half up 30-14.
Swain regrouped after the break, cutting their deficit to 39-29 with seven minutes to play. After a timeout the Panthers slammed the door however, scoring 16 of the last 21 points to win 55-34.
On Feb. 7, the team traveled to West Henderson for a much-anticipated game. Just ahead of the 7-3 Falcons in the conference, the 8-3 Panthers needed a win to secure second place behind 10-0 Pisgah.
After beating the Panthers by eight in Franklin last month, the Falcons started fast once again, leading 8-0 two minutes in. Brooks soon answered however, posting five points, three assists and a steal to end the quarter up 17-14.
Plemmons caught fire in the second, posting four 3-pointers including three in a row to push her total for the game to five. West kept pace on their own offensive side to end the half down 26-25.
Franklin stayed hot from beyond the arc in the third, sinking five more 3-pointers including two apiece from Plemmons and Maloy. Once again the Falcons’ offense matched, ending the quarter down just 48-45.
Franklin’s defense saved their best for last in the fourth, racking up four steals including three from Maloy. Plemmons added a whopping eighth 3-pointer to break a Panther single-game record and win 64-59. The senior has now made 40 3-pointers this season.
In avenging their previous loss to West, Franklin secured the #2 seed in the conference tournament, and will host #7 North Henderson in Round 1 on Valentine’s Day. Between that game and hosting the semifinals and finals the following week, Haley said the team wants to prove they’re the class of the conference.
“I definitely do,” she on whether she felt Franklin had a chance to win the tournament. “I think [we’re searching for] revenge coming into the tournament, and I think we’re all really excited for it. I think we’ve got a really good shot.”
In a year which fans weren’t sure what to expect from a young Franklin team, the squad has exceeded expectations, ending the week as the 21st-ranked team in the 3A West. As this season’s only returning All-Conference Panther, Haley said she’s been proud of her teammates’ efforts.
“It’s taken a while. We had to get to know each other and create that chemistry, but I think we’ve done a really good job this year of being together as a team.” she said.