For the Daily Journal
Franklin played an unselfish game against Edgewood on Tuesday night, ending in an 81-57 boys basketball win.
Franklin head coach Brad Dickey said that his team’s high percentage of assisted baskets wasn’t necessarily intentional.
“They did a good job with the zone to start the game,” he said. “Then when they started pressing out, they made us throw passes. We weren’t going to make it against their good defenders full-court or half-court to the rim, so we survived. It’s something our team is good at.”
Franklin started the game on a tear, scoring the game’s first 12 points. Cory Richards scored six of the Grizzly Cubs’ first eight.
Richards finished with 17 points. Reece Thomson and Drew Byerly each finished with 15 and Blaine Wentzell finished with 10 for Franklin (16-7).
Dickey said that the distribution of scoring wasn’t necessarily intentional, either, and that the team did what gave it the best chance to win.
“It’s nice to have four in double figures, but we don’t worry about it,” he said. “We just keep playing. If one guy needs to get 40, he will. If four guys can get 10, we’ll do that too. We’re just trying to win the game.”
The Mustangs (17-5) trimmed a point off of Franklin’s early cushion but the Grizzly Cubs went into the second with a 20-9 lead.
The second quarter continued to be evenly contested and Franklin was unable to extend its lead until the last second of the frame.
Thomson’s 3-point attempt fell short, but Damon Dickey was there to grab it in midair and put it in at the buzzer to lead Franklin into the break with a 12-point advantage.
The third quarter ended the same as the second, with Franklin leading by 12. Edgewood cut it down to seven midway through the frame, which is where Dickey said his team’s early lead paid off.
“The lead was very important since it was still a seven-point game part way through the third,” he said. “We just coasted a little bit and rode that lead and then we finally lined it up and played a little bit better in the middle of the third.”
Back-to-back Byerly baskets put the Grizzly Cubs up double figures for good.
Franklin took over the game in the fourth quarter, winning the frame 25-13.
The Grizzly Cubs have now won seven of their last eight games heading into Friday’s regular-season finale at Jennings County.
