It’s been a rocky road this season for the Franklin College men’s basketball team, yet with only one game left, the Grizzlies are already thinking about the future.
On Wednesday night, in an all too familiar pattern, the Grizzlies got off to a slow start and never found momentum, losing to visiting Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference rival Transylvania 87-68.
What Franklin ran into was a Transylvania team that shot the lights out in the first half, bolstered by eight 3-pointers and an inside game, aided by nine offensive rebounds, that the Grizzlies had no answer for.
With sophomore forward Kyle Gullett knocking down three 3-pointers and 6-foot-6 inch forward Robert Dence coming off the bench to score four uncontested layups, the Pioneers went to the break with a 50-28 lead.
The Grizzlies’ offensive game finally came together midway through the second half, but by then it was much too late. Franklin climbed within 15 points three times but could get no closer.
One of the very bright spots for the Grizzlies this season has been the emergence of freshman guard Braxton Day.
On graduation from Bedford North Lawrence, Day was the fourth leading scorer in school history with 1,233 points.
And since the first of January, he has been a fixture in the Grizzlies’ starting lineup, averaging 11.6 points per game.
"I’ve been fortunate to work myself into some solid playing time and the transition has been fairly smooth," Day said. "Obviously, the college game is a lot faster pace with a shot clock.
"We’ve had a lot of close games this year where we’ve played well and were in a position to win, but we just couldn’t close the door down the stretch. You either win or lose on some buzzer-beaters, but as a team, we’ve all stuck together."
With the win, Transylvania improved to 16-8 overall and 11-6 in the conference, while Franklin fell to 6-18 and 3-14.
Leading the way for the Pioneers was Gullett with 24 points, including six 3-pointers.
For the Grizzlies, senior guard Robbie Prather scored a team-high 23 points, hitting 7 of 10 outside the arc. Senior Aaron Mann and junior center John Beineke each added 15.
With only one game left, Day said the Grizzlies "have to play for ourselves. We don’t want to exit the season and think we weren’t playing our best ball.
"At this point, we’re going out there for our pride. I feel we have a bright future."
Franklin will be at home for a women’s and men’s doubleheader Saturday against Anderson.
