Panther women’s hoops are entering the home stretch.
On the week of Jan. 13 the team faced a busy schedule, with games versus West Henderson, Smoky Mountain and Hayesville. With a win at Smoky they improved to 4-2 in the Mountain Seven Conference, entering their last seven games in second place behind 5-0 Pisgah.
On Tuesday, Jan. 14, the team hosted West in a Mountain Seven game. Both teams engaged in a defensive struggle early, playing nearly two minutes until the game’s first field goal. Bristol Brooks scored four of Franklin’s eight points to end the first quarter down by one.
Both defenses held firm in the second, with McKenna Plemmons, Aubrey Haley and Rylee Greene forcing turnovers for Franklin. The trio added seven points to end the half tied 20-20.
The Falcons came out firing in the third, taking an early lead despite steals from Haley and Payton Baty. Brooks added six points to end the quarter down 35-28.
Plemmons turned red-hot in the fourth, scoring 12 points including three 3-pointers. West kept pace on the other end however, winning 54-46.
The next night the team traveled to Sylva to face 3-11 Smoky Mountain. There the Panthers took care of business, beating the Mustangs 56-40.
On Thursday night the team traveled to Hayesville for a nonconference game, taking on the 5-6 Yellow Jackets. Both teams engaged in a defensive struggle early, playing nearly two minutes before the game’s first basket. Layla Maloy scored all of Franklin’s three points to end the quarter down 7-3.
Franklin’s defense continued to hold firm in the second, getting steals from Maloy and Bristol Brooks. Rylee Greene added a 3-pointer to end the half down 14-8.
Franklin’s offense kicked into gear to start the third, getting five points from Meliah Mason to cut Hayesville’s lead to one. The Jackets soon followed suit however, scoring the quarter’s last five points to make it 24-18.
Aubrey Haley heated up in the final quarter, scoring five points to keep Franklin within range. Anna Stiles added two points and a block, but Hayesville kept pace to win 36-27. The loss dropped Franklin to 8-8 overall ahead of an M7 game with East Henderson after press time Jan. 21.