<p>Some of the most memorable moments of Britney Ballard’s first season of college basketball were after entering the game as a substitute.</p>
<p>Chances are good she sees the floor much sooner as a sophomore.</p>
<p>Expected to run the point for Franklin College, the 5-foot-11 Ballard, whose best three scoring performances (18, 18 and 23 points) were off the bench late in the season, is one reason the Grizzlies are confident they can improve upon their 8-17 record of a year ago.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]
<p>“We are a young team, but I think we can do a lot this season,” Ballard said. “We have two seniors, and they know the system and keep us on task on offense and defense. I think we’re going to play a lot better together because we had a lot of freshmen last season, and we’re a year older now.”</p>
<p>The Grizzlies open the season Nov. 22-23 at the Wilmington (Ohio) College Invitational. Franklin College’s home opener is Nov. 27 against Olivet.</p>
<p>The team’s leading scorer and rebounder is back in junior guard forward Bayleigh Walker (13.3 points, 6.6 rebounds). She will receive plenty of help from sophomore guard Jessica Nix (6.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and Destinee Cross (5.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg), a 6-2 sophomore center.</p>
<p>Ashlin Aycock, a 5-7 senior guard, returns after starting 22 games a year ago and averaging 5.2 points and 2.7 assists. Also back is 5-8 guard/forward Erin Bradley, who sat out last season for health reasons after averaging 6.2 points and 2.3 rebounds during the 2017-18 campaign.</p>
<p>“We have a lot of leadership returning. A lot of main cogs with what we do,” sixth-year coach Dana Haggenjos said. “All of those freshmen who got a lot of minutes last year are now sophomores, so they know what college basketball is. We put in a new offense last year. They already know the offense.”</p>
<p>Former Center Grove player Amy Davis, a 5-6 sophomore guard, played only four games last season before being sidelined. She returns with 5-9 junior Lindsay Freije and 5-10 junior Isabella Ratliff to give the Grizzlies depth. Another local player, 6-foot freshman forward Bayleigh Torrance of Franklin, could also factor in this season.</p>
<p>On offense, it all starts with Ballard, who averaged 13.3 points to help Franklin College win two of its last four games last season.</p>
<p>“Britney has kind of taken hold of this team from that point guard position. We moved Ashlin over to the 2 guard, and I think she’s flourished being in that spot as opposed to having to run the point,” Haggenjos said. “We’ll be much more attacking than we’ve been and we’re quicker than we’ve been in the past.</p>
<p>“And Destinee, in our two scrimmages, has looked like the prominent post player we’ve been seeking. We’re ahead of where we were last year. We’re really excited about going forward.”</p>
