Franklin boys basketball advances past GCA

The objective, according to Franklin coach Adrian Moss, was to see his team make a statement early against visiting Greenwood Christian.

Producing the game’s first 10 points certainly qualifies.

Franklin used its early burst to gain control of the first-round county tournament game on Tuesday in a 65-47 victory that moves the Cubs into Friday night’s 6 p.m. semifinal against Greenwood at Whiteland.

Moss’s squad made 15 of 21 field goal attempts (71.4%) in the opening half, and didn’t commit its first turnover until 3:58 of the second quarter.

Impressive start indeed.

“We wanted to use our size. We don’t always have a size advantage. We’re usually the quick, athletic team,” Moss said. “But this particular night, we had a size advantage, and we wanted to use that to get high quality shots around the rim.

“I think that translated a little bit into our (early) field goal percentage. GCA is a really good team, so, for us to get up 20 points, I didn’t expect that. The second half, they kind of figured us out.”

Senior forward Dylan Beverly and junior guard Nate Corley led Franklin (5-6) with 16 points apiece, while junior guard Wyatt Nickleson added 10. Another junior, Micah Davis, scored eight points and tied Beverly for team rebounding honors with six.

Greenwood Christian (6-6) was paced by junior guard Max Booher with a game-best 20 points; senior wing Blake Shewmaker added 15 and led all rebounders with nine.

The Grizzly Cubs led, 21-9, through one period and 37-18 at halftime. Franklin’s widest point differential came midway through the third on a Corley triple that made it a 46-23 game.

But it was then that the Cougars began chipping away at the Cubs’ lead.

A hoop from senior Parker Satre kicked off a 24-14 GCA scoring run that included nine points from Booher and another eight from Shewmaker. Booher’s short jumper in the lane at 3:22 of the final stanza pulled GCA to 60-47, but the visitors couldn’t get any closer.

With 1:13 showing, Franklin entered the bonus and began shooting free throws.

Greenwood Christian finished 20 of 44 from the floor (45.5%) compared to Franklin cooling off but still making 23 of 40 attempts (57.5%). The Grizzly Cubs outrebounded the Cougars, 22-17.

Second-year GCA coach Jackson Williams liked the heart his team demonstrated, particularly the final two quarters.

“I thought the boys did a really good job of being patient, looking for great shots and kind of recognizing when mismatches were occurring and really attacking them,” Williams said. “The start wasn’t what we were looking for, but I was really proud how we finished the game.

“I think we just came in with the same plan in the second half as we had in the first. Let’s be patient. Let’s take great shots, and if we get a few stops and string them together, we can see where we’re at.”