Basketball Game Preview: Franklin Panthers vs. West Henderson Falcons

Franklin and West Henderson are an even 5-5 against one another since January of 2017, but not for long. The Franklin Panthers will head out on the road to square off against the West Henderson Falcons at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Franklin has been dominant on offense recently, having racked up an incredible 180 points over their last three matchups.

On Wednesday, Franklin made easy work of Swain County and carried off a 55-34 win. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 227th, while the Maroon Devils are ranked 493rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Meanwhile, West Henderson ended up a good deal behind North Buncombe on Tuesday and lost 58-44. The loss continues a trend for the Falcons in their matchups with the Black Hawks: they've now lost nine in a row.

Franklin has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 13-9 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.3 points per game. As for West Henderson, their defeat dropped their record down to 12-10.

Franklin came up short against West Henderson in their previous meeting back in January, falling 54-46. Can Franklin avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.