It’s crowded at the top of the Mountain Seven standings.
Heading into the week of Jan. 15, Panther hoops were in the thick of the race, with both men’s and women’s varsity teams boasting 4-1 records in the conference. In losses at West Henderson Jan. 16, both teams dropped to 4-2, sitting at third place in the standings with six conference games remaining.
Women
The Panther women took the court for the evening’s first varsity game, with a chance to tie the 4-0 Falcons for first place. The game started out as a defensive struggle, staying scoreless through the first three minutes. Franklin racked up seven steals in the first quarter including three (plus a block and three points) from junior Cali Queen, ending the quarter down 7-6.
West’s offense kicked into gear in the second, scoring eight unanswered points in its first 90 seconds. Despite a block and back-to-back 3-pointers from Queen, Franklin ended the half down 27-16.
Baskets remained hard to come by in the third, as an unlucky shooting night continued for the Panthers. Despite seven combined points from Avery Moffitt and Avery Williamson, Franklin ended the quarter down 48-26.
Queen led a comeback attempt in the fourth, sinking a 3-pointer and assisting McKenna Plemmons to help cut West’s lead to 50-32. The talented Falcons soon slammed the door however, going on to win 67-38 and drop Franklin to 8-8 overall. The victory gave 5-0 West control of the Mountain Seven Conference standings, just ahead of 4-1 Pisgah with the 4-2 Panthers in third.
Men
Entering the men’s game at 3-1 in the conference, the talented Falcons took on the 4-1 Panthers with a chance to overtake them for first. West’s defense looked stout in the early goings, holding Franklin scoreless through the first three minutes. Despite an eight-point surge from freshman forward Will Rauers, the Panthers ended the first quarter down 19-10.
Rauers and Max McClure led Franklin’s offense in the second, posting five points apiece to keep their team in striking distance. On the other end, they held West to just 10 points in the quarter to end the half down just 29-23.
West’s offense regrouped to begin the third, opening the quarter with a 10-2 run. Franklin managed just eight points in the period to enter the fourth down 47-31.
McClure tried to will his team back in the final quarter, scoring nine points in a long-shot comeback attempt. The Falcons’ lead proved too great however, going on to win 64-44 and drop Franklin to 11-5 overall.
The victory improved West to 4-1 in the Mountain Seven Conference, tying East Henderson for first half a game ahead of the 4-2 Panthers. Franklin’s games with Swain scheduled for Jan. 19 were postponed due to inclement weather.
Despite its result, Tuesday’s game was another impressive outing for McClure, who racked up 21 points, four rebounds and one assist as an individual. In eclipsing 20 points for the eighth time in just 16 games, the junior improved his points per game average this season to 20.9, which ranked sixth among all players in the 3A West Region as of Jan. 18. East Henderson’s Caiden Brewer ranked fourth on the list with 23.9.
In addition to scoring, McClure has been among the most impactful players in the region overall, ranking second with nine double-doubles (games in which a player reaches double figures in two different statistical measures, e.g. 20 points and 10 rebounds) on the season. Regularly drawing fouls while driving into the painted area, the junior has also been the region’s most prolific free throw shooter, ranking first in both free throw attempts (110) and free throws made (85).