Basketball Game Preview: Franklin County Seahawks vs. St. John Paul II Panthers

The Franklin County Seahawks will head out on the road to challenge the St. John Paul II Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Franklin County will be strutting in after a victory while St. John Paul II will be coming in after a loss.

Franklin County will bounce into Tuesday's match after beating Port St. Joe, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. Franklin County came out on top against Port St. Joe by a score of 34-26 on Friday.

Meanwhile, St. John Paul II fought the good fight in their overtime game against Jefferson County on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Tigers by a score of 38-36. The Panthers' defeat continues a trend for the squad, making it three in a row.

Franklin County will need focus on slowing down Aliyah Medrano, one of several St. John Paul II players who made an impact when they last played. She dropped a double-double on 11 points and 11 boards. What's more, Medrano also racked up six steals, the most she's had since back in December of 2023. Another player making a difference was Ashlyn Naumann, who posted nine points in addition to five rebounds and four steals.

Franklin County is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine contests, which provided a nice bump to their 9-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks to their defensive effort, having only surrendered 27.8 points per game. As for St. John Paul II, their loss dropped their record down to 3-7.

Franklin County was able to grind out a solid win over St. John Paul II in their previous meeting back in December of 2024, winning 33-25. The rematch might be a little tougher for Franklin County since the team won't have the home-court advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.