Behind a full team effort defensively, especially in the first half, and a balanced offense that saw three Franklin players score in double figures, the Panthers picked up a huge 67-52 victory over Mansfield.
FRANKLIN — In its first two attempts in its new gym, the Franklin boys basketball team was unable to beat rival Mansfield, with the Hornets getting the better of the Panthers each time.
But as Franklin showed Friday night when Mansfield came to town, the Panthers were absolutely not going to let that happen a third time.
Furthermore, this was Franklin's most important game of the season to date in terms of league standings, as the Panthers entered sitting a game behind the Hornets for the top spot in the Hockomock League Kelley-Rex Division.
Behind a full team effort defensively, especially in the first half, and a balanced offense that saw three Franklin players score in double figures, the Panthers picked up a huge 67-52 victory over Mansfield.
With the win, Franklin (8-1, 5-1) now finds itself tied with the Hornets (7-2, 5-1) for first place in the Kelley-Rex.
“This is exciting,” Panthers coach CJ Neely said. “Each win is its own and I think that win just shows what we can be. I told the guys in there, 'It shows what you guys can do when you play together and you don't care who scores the ball, which is the biggest and most important thing.' If we get to a point where teams can't just stop one guy, then we're going to be tough to stop on the offensive end and we're going to be in great shape. They're being unselfish and I'm proud of them for that.
“But we still have a way to go, I'm not going to say this is the season or anything like that. It's a nice win and we're going to be happy tonight, but we've got to get back out there and get better tomorrow.”
Franklin held a 17-13 lead after the first quarter, and in the second quarter the Panthers began to raise their play, primarily on the defensive end.
It wasn't anything too fancy or crazy, as Franklin — as it often does — just played tough man-to-man defense. The Panthers were frequently contesting Mansfield shots and were also forcing the Hornets to take some shots that they may not have wanted to take.
The result was Franklin holding Mansfield, which came in averaging over 65 points per game, to just seven points in the frame, as the Panthers were able to double up the Hornets 14-7 and take a 31-20 lead into the half. Additionally, Franklin held Mansfield to just 29 percent shooting and forced 13 turnovers in the first half.
“We were just trying to force them to their off-hand,” Panthers junior Jalen Samuels said. “We just had to follow our scout plan and basically force them to do things that they don't like to do. We stuck to that, made them uncomfortable, and came up with the win.”
In the third quarter, a runner by sophomore Chris Edgehill gave Franklin a 42-25 lead. Edgehill, however, had to go to the bench after picking up his fourth foul and Samuels was on the bench with three. With both players off the floor, the Hornets took advantage, as they went on an 8-0 run over the next 2:31 to get within nine with 1:59 on the clock.
But that's when Franklin senior Matt Elias stepped it up, as he drilled a 3-pointer to make it 45-33. Mansfield's John McCoy (team-high 14 points) responded with a triple of his own, but Elias grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back to make it 47-36 with three seconds left in the third.
“Teams know we have a lot of guys on this team who can score,” Elias said. “So even with Jalen and Chris on the bench, we just try to keep a level head, be ourselves, and play Franklin basketball. We were able to get it done with them out of the game and carry momentum into the fourth quarter.”
The Hornets again got within nine at 51-42 early in the fourth quarter, but that's as close as they'd get the rest of the way as the Panthers were able to close it out.
“It's huge,” Elias said. “We're always looking to beat Mansfield, especially when they come in here. We've lost to them here the past two years, so it's awesome to get a big win.”
Samuels led Franklin with 18 points (also had seven rebounds), but he had plenty of help, as Elias poured in 17 and Edgehill, who fouled out late in the game, added 14.
“Anybody can go off for us,” Neely said. “That's the good thing. We don't have to rely on one guy, so it's great. The balance is excellent.”