Franklin girls edged by Hawks

<p>After scoring 72 points the previous night, the Franklin girls basketball team could have saved a few of those points for Friday.</p><p>At least four of them.</p><p>Franklin nearly overcame a one-point second quarter and roared back, however in the end it was a few points short as it lost to visiting Decatur Central, 44-41, in Mid-State Conference action.</p><p>While the Grizzly Cubs (3-6, 1-1) seemed to score at will against Beech Grove on Thursday, nothing they threw up against the Hawks seemed to work in the first half.</p><p>“I don’t know what it was,” said Franklin coach Josh Sabol. “I don’t think I’ve every seen or heard of a one-point quarter. It killed us. There was a lot of indecisiveness and bad habits.”</p><p>Fortunately for the Cubs, they were still in the game as Decatur Central had some scoring issues of its own. Had the Hawks hit their shots, it might have been a blowout early.</p><p>Franklin came alive in the second half, outscoring the Hawks 35-24 thanks to six second half 3-pointers, two by junior Hailee Robbins and four from junior Kiki Crabtree.</p><p>Crabtree really kept the Cubs in the game, going a perfect 3 for 3 in the fourth quarter and cutting the Hawks once-huge lead to a single point with 25 seconds left to play.</p><p>That was, however, it for Franklin.</p><p>Decatur Central’s Vanessa Wilson hit two free throws with 3.6 seconds left, and Franklin couldn’t get a decent shot off at the buzzer.</p><p>Crabtree led all scorers with 16 points. Robbins had 10.</p><p>Wilson led the Hawks with 13 points, while Kenadi Brand added 10.</p><p>“We’re usually a very good shooting team,” said Sabol. “But you have to credit (Decatur Central). They present problems in the middle, but we have to play better.”</p><p>Up next for the Cubs is another home date, this time against Bloomington North, next Thursday.</p>