Franklinton hasn't had much luck against Northwood recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Franklinton Red Rams will take on the Northwood Chargers in a tournament on Friday. Franklinton is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 57.6 points per game this season.
Last Thursday, Franklinton was just a bucket shy of victory and fell 53-52 to Nash Central. The loss was a bit of a surprise, as the Red Rams came into the contest with a sizable advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 205th, while the Bulldogs are ranked 509th).
Despite their loss, Franklinton saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Zymir Lipscomb, who went 5 for 11 on his way to 13 points, was perhaps the best of all. The team also got some help courtesy of Aiden Hemphill, who posted eight points in addition to five assists and five boards.
Even though they lost, Franklinton smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with ten offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least ten offensive rebounds in three consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Northwood came tearing into Saturday's game with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 30 points) and they left with even more momentum. They blew past the Golden Hawks, posting a 73-41 victory. The Chargers have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won six contests by 26 points or more this season.
Northwood's win was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 7-1. Those victories came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 71.1 points per game. As for Franklinton, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 6-4.
Franklinton came up short against Northwood in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, falling 59-49. Can Franklinton avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
