MARTINSVILLE
Franklin girls basketball team struggled Tuesday night to overcome a strong Martinsville offense.
The host Artesians dominated every facet of the game, topping the Grizzle Cubs 77-40. Martinsville had 16 offensive rebounds, forced 23 turnovers and hit seemingly every shot it put up in sending Franklin to its sixth loss in the past seven games.
“That’s an experience, explosive team and right now, we’re not there yet,” Franklin coach Josh Sabol said. “We’re not at that level yet, but I definitely love my team. We’re young and we’re headed in the right direction.”
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Franklin (8-13, 2-4 Mid-State) hung tough early. After spotting Martinsville a 7-3 lead, the Grizzly Cubs got three points by Maya Elliott to pull within one with 4:51 left in the first quarter.
The rest of the game belonged to Martinsville. The Artesians (14-8, 4-2) closed the first quarter on a 19-3 run, led 40-11 midway through the second and took a 50-17 lead into the half.
Things didn’t get any better for the Cubs in the second half. Martinsville built its lead to as many as 44 (64-20) before freshman quard Liv Parramore came off the bench to score eight points for Franklin and close the gap to 66-30.
But the spurt did little to alter the outcome. Franklin never got the deficit back under 30.
“It’s a recipe for diaster if you have 20-plus turnovers and giving up 15, 16 offensive rebounds,” Sabol said. “That’s something we’re going to have to learn and grow from.”
If there was a bright side in the game for Franklin, it was the play of Parramore. After scoring a team-high six points in the junior varsity’s 42-37 loss, she led the varsity with 11 points, including three 3-pointers.
“Liv is one of those players who gives us a lot of energy,” Sabol said. “She can knock down a shot, she can defend and she’s one of our young freshmen that we are really, really excited about and she’s going to have a great career.”
Elliott, Franklin’s lone senior, added 10 points for the Cubs. Merideth Deckard led four Martinsville players in double figures with 17 points.
Franklin closes out the regular season Thursday when it hosts Jennings County. The Grizzly Cubs then face the Whiteland-Center Grove winner in the semifinals of the Class 4A Sectional at Franklin Central on Friday, Feb. 2.
