Even though the home team dropped both games of a district doubleheader Friday, the Franklin-at-Logan twinbill was a reminder that high school basketball can be as much old-fashioned fun near Christmas as a bowl full of jolly jelly. Both games were a pleasure to watch.
Franklin-Simpson’s teams are highly improved over last year, which was one of the most dismal combined seasons in F-S roundball history. Coach Josh Matthews’ Lady Cats left the LCHS gym with a 65-53 win and an undefeated record Friday. New boys’ coach Dee Spencer has his Cats playing well, as evidenced by their 82-73 win over the Cougars,
Even though Logan’s teams lost, they and their fans have reason for optimism. Both teams play hard. Even though they are young and inexperienced, they are competitive in just about every game they play. Coach Scot MacAllister doesn’t have a single senior on his Lady Cougar roster. Sophomores often lead them in scoring. He is building a deep bench. New boys coach Lonnie Mason took over a team with only one starter returning, and that returnee—senior point guard Torin Graham—is the only guy back who played double figure minutes most games. But Mason seems to be getting the maximum from his squad.
There’s a lot of hometown feel to all four teams. Mason and Spencer are coaching the teams they once played for. Matthews is a graduate of LCHS in this same district, and his top assistant coach, Bob Matthews, led the Lady Cats to great showings at state before becoming the most successful coach in Russellville girls basketball history. MacAllister has been on the job at LCHS for eight seasons, and all three of his children—Tim, Kayla and Shannon—were Lady Cougars and Cougars.
Both Logan teams led at halftimes Friday. After trailing 21-9, going into the second quarter, the Lady Cougars roared out to a 31-25 margin at the intermission. Sophomore Kaprechia Powell scored eight points in that second period and freshman Brooke Barnes four. Clint Knight hit a pair of 3-pointers to start the boys game, and Ryan Basham and Graham each added a trey as the Cougars took a 20-9 first-quarter lead. The Cougars led at the first three stops.
The Lady Cats dominated the third quarter by a 20-4 margin to take a 10-point lead. Logan cut it to six on a 3-pointer by Laura Hunt, but that was as close as the Lady Cougars could get. Katelynn Jones’ two free throws with 2:30 cut the F-S lead to 53-46, but Franklin had too much going for it at the end to run Matthews’ team record to 6-0.
Lady Cat Jenna Curtis hit 8 of 10 free throws on the way to a game-high 18 points. Nine players scored for Matthew’ team. Hunt and Powell each had 12 for the Lady Cougars, who had seven players score. Sophomore Maegann Hardison hit a pair of 3-pointers on the way to 8 points, the same as Jones’ total.
In the boys game, Franklin eighth grader Tavin Lovan scored the game’s first bucket, but Knight hit a pair of 3-pointers, J.R. Morrow a bucket and Graham scored eight points to give the Cougars a sensational 15-3 lead. Then Franklin’s Drew Talley hit a pair of 3-pointers to start the Wildcats’ comeback.
Tanner Clark, who seems to have been around for a decade, got hot for Franklin. He and Lovan led the Cats all the way back to a 36-35 lead before Graham hit a pair of free throws to put Logan ahead by one at the half. Cougar sophomore Ben Wright scored seven points in the second quarter.
Graham hit a pair of treys and Morrow scored to keep the home team ahead 49-50. Clark sent the Cats ahead 50-49, but sophomore Tahmir Graham got the Logan lead back immediately. When Landon Stratton hit a 3-pointer, the Cougars led 54-52, but Lovan tied it. A crushing blow came when Graham unwisely bumped a Wildcat at midcourt three-tenths of a second before quarter’s end. It was his fourth personal foul.
Morrow gave his team a pair of leads on assists from Stratton and Knight, and his pass to Torin Graham under the basket should have resulted in a tie after Clark’s high-bouncing trey had put the Cats up 60-58. But Graham missed the layup, and Evan Figert scored at the other end. Logan never tied it or took the lead again.
Graham and Stratton both fouled out, with Graham’s coming on a highly disputed charge call. Franklin shot 15 free throws in the fourth quarter while being called for only one foul. Kevin Flippin, the Cats’ only senior, hit 5 of 6 free throws for the game, Clark 8 of 10 and Lovan 4 of 4.
Both teams hit eight 3-pointers. For Logan it was Torin Grahm with three, Knight two, and Wright, Basham and Stratton one each. Clark and Talley led the Wildcat barrage.
Clark finished with 25 points, Lovan 18 and Talley 15. Clark is the son of former F-S coach David Clark. Lovan is the son of current Cats’ assistant Tony Lovan and former WKU Lady Topper star Veronica Cook.
Torin Graham topped the Cougars with 22 points. Wright scored 14 and Knight 10.
The LoJo
The Lady Cougars beat a visiting Australian team 57-49 Saturday to run their record to 2-4. MacAlister’s team will entertain McLean County Monday, face defending regional champion Glasgow on the road Tuesday and return home for a district doubleheader against Todd Central Friday. The Lady Rebels ran their record to 4-0 Friday with a 52-18 win over Russellville, hitting eight three-pointers in the first half, five of them by Maggie Simons.
The Cougars will also go to Glasgow Tuesday and entertain a Todd team Friday which lost 77-59 at Russellville last week.
The Panthers have a busy week. Coach Phil Todd’s team will entertain Allen County-Scottsville Tuesday and Warren East Friday. In between they will head to Barren County Thursday.
Coach Dedra Adler’s Lady Panthers will also entertain AC-S Tuesday and then go to Springfield, Tenn. Saturday for a 5 p.m. game. RHS got good news just before Friday’s game when senior point guard Amber Sydnor was ruled able to play after being elbowed in the head late in a game against Warren East three days earlier.
The LoJo
GIRLS
Score by quarters: 1) F-S 19-7, 2) LCHS 31-25, 3) F-S 45-35, Final) Franklin-Simpson 65, Logan County 53
F-S (65) Jenna Curtis 18, Taisha Covington 8, Megan Krantz 8, Keely Morrow 8, Sydney Gooch 7, Kendra Brooks 6, Canaysha Ervin 6, Angelica Reetzke 2, Autumn Babb
LCHS (53) Kaprechia Powell 12, Laura Hunt 12, Katelyn Jones 8, Maegann Hardison 8, Brooke Barnes 6, Megan Lindsey 4, Taleia Mason 3, Victoria Cates, Rachel Barnett, Madison Alvis, Hanna Stratton,
BOYS
Score by quarters: 1) LCHS 20-9, 2) LCHS 37-36, 3) 54-54, Final) Franklin-Simpson 82, Logan County 73
F-S (82) Tanner Clark 25, Tavin Lovan 18. Drew Talley 15, Kevin Flippin 7, Evan Figert 7, Demarcus Payne 5, Jordan Holt 3, Colton Hurt 2
LCHS (73) Torin Graham 22, Ben Wright 14, Clint Knight 10, Ryan Basham 9, J.R. Morrow 8, Landon Stratton 5, Tahmir Graham 5, Tucker Baldwin, Adam Wilkins