Panther girls varsity hoops are Mountain Eight tournament runners-up.
Having routed East Henderson in Round 1 Feb. 13, on the week of Feb. 16 they returned to Smoky Mountain for the conference semifinals and final. After a loss to Pisgah in their final Mountain Eight game, they set their sights on the 5A state playoffs.
Following their first-round win over East, on Feb. 17 they returned to Sylva for the conference semis, facing seventh-ranked North Henderson. Having twice been blown out by the third-ranked Panthers this regular season, North had advanced to the semis through a surprising first-round win, upsetting second-ranked West Henderson 64-62.
Rylee Greene came out firing to start the game, exploding for 14 points in the first. Franklin’s defense frustrated the Knights to end the quarter up 19-7.
Greene stayed hot in the second, posting seven more points and one assist. Alyssa Awtrey added three points, an assist and a block to end the half with a 35-18 lead.
Franklin’s defense held firm in the third, racking up six steals and two blocks including two of each from Finley Moffitt. Bristol Brooks added nine points and one assist to end the quarter up 56-28.
Moffitt stayed hot in the fourth, racking up four points, an assist, a steal and a block. Kyelynn Hervey added two steals down the stretch en route to a 69-39 rout.
From there the Panthers advanced to a conference final matchup with Pisgah, returning to Sylva Feb. 19. After losing last year’s conference final to Franklin in the former Mountain Seven, the Black Bears took revenge in the new Mountain Eight’s first regular season, twice beating Franklin by 37 points combined this winter.
The third-place, 10-5 Panthers seemed headed for another upset in the first, getting seven points and one assist from Greene. Moffitt added two steals and a block to take a 21-14 lead.
The game slowed down somewhat to start the second, with Brooks providing Franklin’s only two points of the first four minutes. Greene heated up however, posting eight points and two steals to end the half up 34-26.
Moffitt, Brooks and Greene looked sharp after the break, combining for 10 points and three steals in the third. Pisgah’s offense more than answered however, ending the quarter up 46-44.
The game stayed neck-and-neck to start the fourth, with Franklin led again by Moffitt, Brooks and Greene. Pisgah stayed hot down the stretch however, winning 63-56. As Mountain Eight runners-up, the Panther trio was named to the All-Tournament team.
Afterwards Franklin set their sights on the state playoffs, ending the year as the 5A West’s 11th-ranked team. They hosted #22 Jay M. Robinson (Concord) after press time Feb. 24. The Press will report on that game’s result in next week’s edition.