Bayleigh Torrance didn’t start for Franklin’s girls basketball team Friday night, but she sure did finish.
Torrance, the lone senior on the Grizzly Cubs roster, came off the bench to score 15 points and grab eight rebounds — both game highs — to lead her team past visiting Greenwood, 65-45.
Torrance has been in coach Josh Sabol’s starting rotation in the past, but finds this role more relaxing and beneficial to her ball club.
"I do enjoy coming off the bench just so I can get the energy going and get those jitters out," Torrance said. "All of us started to get shots around the basket and it all came together for us."
[sc:text-divider text-divider-title=”Story continues below gallery” ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
The Grizzly Cubs owned a comfortable 22-point cushion early in the third quarter when the Woodmen, led by senior guard Sarah DeCastro, junior Ashley Buster and sophomore Brooklyn Stubblefield, stormed back to pull to within nine at 37-28.
Torrance scored 13 of her team’s next 15 to push the margin back to 19 at 52-33 at 6:04 of the fourth stanza. The Woodmen couldn’t get closer than 17 points the rest of the way as they fell to 3-9 on the season.
"We made some adjustments the second half where we got Bayleigh away from the basket so she could use her speed to get layups or kick it out for some 3s to Kiki (Crabtree), Peyton (Wilson) or Hailee (Robbins)," Sabol said.
"She was the boost that we needed in the second half, for sure."
Neither squad shot the ball well, and the play was sloppy, particularly in the second half. Franklin finished with 24 turnovers to Greenwood’s 18.
"In the third quarter I thought we were disconnected on defense. We just took the foot off the gas and just got really sloppy," Sabol said. "You’ve got to fight human nature and you have to be more disciplined."
Grizzly Cub guards Crabtree and freshman Kuryn Brunson each finished with 10 points, with Robbins adding nine. Franklin owned the glass, outrebounding Greenwood, 41-18, as forward Lauren Sandrock and Brunson each finished with six boards.
DeCastro led Greenwood with 14 points, while Stubblefield tallied eight to go along with a team-high seven rebounds.
Franklin is now 6-6 entering this evening’s game at Shelbyville after starting the season with three consecutive losses. The Woodmen play again Tuesday night at Indian Creek.
