Franklin boys score big win over Plainfield

<p>As soon as Franklin boys basketball coach Brad Dickey figured out that Plainfield had no answer for Drew Byerly, he made sure to get the ball in the junior’s hands as much as possible. </p><p>Byerly scored 14 of his 20 points during a dominating third-quarter effort that helped the Grizzly Cubs build up a 14-point lead before holding on for a 72-66 home win over Plainfield in Mid-State Conference action on Friday night.</p><p>&quot;That’s one of our good plays, and so we try it often,&quot; Dickey said of the plan to work off of high-post feeds to Byerly. &quot;The success rate was a little higher tonight. </p><p>&quot;The kids did a great job of sticking with that positive play, and then we made some adjustments off of it when they brought the double-team.&quot;</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery<p>The victory briefly gave Franklin (14-7, 5-2) hope for a chance at what would have been a share of a fourth straight conference title, but Mooresville wrapped up sole possession of the crown by beating Greenwood.</p><p>Byerly converted a three-point play with 4:26 left in the third to start a 12-0 Grizzly Cubs run that he capped with another and-one at the 1:58 mark. The junior scored 10 points during the surge and dished to a cutting Reece Thomson for the other two, helping the home team stretch its lead to 46-32.</p><p>&quot;I was glad I was able to come in and help us get a win,&quot; Byerly said.</p><p>The Quakers (17-5, 4-3) answered back, closing the period with a pair of Mason Naaman 3-pointers and eventually getting as close as 52-49 with 5:33 to go in the game. But Byerly came up with two key assists, including one to Cory Richards for a dunk, and a Thomson three-point play with 2:03 remaining effectively closed it out.</p><p>Thomson scored nine of his team-high 22 points in the fourth quarter to help the Grizzly Cubs finish it off. Richards and Blaine Wentzell chipped in 12 points apiece.</p><p>Down by as many as six points during a back-and-forth first half, the Grizzly Cubs closed the second quarter with a 9-2 burst, getting a late 3-pointer from Blaine Wentzell to go into the break with a 30-27 edge.</p><p>The victory should provide a late-season momentum boost to a Franklin team that has been up and down since the calendar flipped over to 2019.</p><p>&quot;This for sure gets us back on track,&quot; Thomson said. &quot;Our energy level was really good tonight, and I think we need to do that every game. … We’ve just got to use these next couple of games to prepare for sectionals.&quot;</p><p>The Grizzly Cubs are back in action tonight at Columbus North before wrapping up the regular season next week with games against Edgewood and Jennings County.</p>