Basketball Game Preview: Franklin Panthers vs. Murphy Bulldogs

The Franklin Panthers will venture away from home to square off against the Murphy Bulldogs at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday. Franklin is strutting in with some offensive muscle as they've averaged 64.5 points per game this season.

On Tuesday, Franklin took their matchup with ease, bagging a 69-38 win over Tuscola. The contest was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 49-17.

Franklin found their leader in sophomore William Rauers, who went 6 of 10 on his way to 16 points in addition to six boards and six steals. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Rauers has scored all season. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Brannon, who made all 5 shots he took to post 15 points.

Meanwhile, Murphy had to hit the road for their first game and it wasn't the result they were hoping for. They received a blow on Friday as they fell 70-51 to Robbinsville. The Bulldogs haven't had much luck with the Black Knights recently, as the team's come up short the last three times they've met.

Franklin's victory bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Murphy, their loss dropped their record down to 0-1.

Franklin couldn't quite finish off Murphy in their previous meeting back in December of 2022 and fell 65-63. Can Franklin avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.