About face, forward march.
That’s one familiar command spoken by a military drill instructor during basic training.
After enduring a 4-21 season last year, the Franklin College men’s basketball team appears to have things turned in the right direction.
With four starters back, the Grizzlies marched off a convincing 86-74 win Wednesday night in their season opener against visiting DePauw.
From the opening tip to the final buzzer, Franklin got the kind of motion offense it operates best with and the defensive intensity to outmaneuver the Tigers in every phase of the game.
The Grizzlies, buoyed by their senior leadership, also got some unexpected but dazzling contributions off the bench, especially from freshmen Kale Morris and Kyle Meyer.
Despite a 19-point first-half performance by DePauw senior guard Luke Lattner, Franklin never trailed again after being down 24-23 with a little over eight minutes left in the first half.
After jetting to a 40-27 halftime lead, Franklin had a short lapse of concentration allowing the Tigers to close the gap to 48-46, but a fast-break layup by senior guard Aaron Mann and a 3-pointer by senior guard Robbie Prather upped the Grizzlies’ lead to 55-46.
DePauw never got closer than five points the rest of the way.
Franklin coach Kerry Prather credited the Grizzlies’ defense, which held DePauw to 38.5 percent shooting from the field. The Grizzlies, meanwhile, shot 50 percent, connecting on 31 of 62 overall and making 6 of 16 from beyond the arc. Franklin also made 18 of 25 from the line.
“This group has worked so hard,” Kerry Prather said. “The older guys so hard last year and in the offseason. These freshmen came in and just immediately became acclimated to what do I need to do, show me the way. The older guys have led well. We got huge contributions from everybody.
“But you want to circle 38 percent of field goal percentage allowed. If we can live off defense, then that will generate enough offense and we’re going to be fine.”
Also a big factor? The Grizzlies outrebounded DePauw 40-31, something they’re not accustomed to doing.
Franklin put four players in double figures, with Mann leading the way with 29. Morris added 13, hitting 3 of 4 3-pointers, while Robbie Prather had 12 and senior forward Brett McCory finished with 11.
For DePauw (0-1), Lattner finished with 34 points and senior guard Nate Jahn added 11.
Next, the Grizzlies (1-0) take a pre-Thanksgiving trip to Florida, where they will play Florida College on Tuesday and Eckerd College on Wednesday.
