Basketball Game Preview: Franklin Panthers vs. West Henderson Falcons

The Franklin Panthers will square off against the West Henderson Falcons at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Franklin has three straight wins, West Henderson has ten straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the court.

Franklin is returning to their home court after beating Andrews on theirs, despite the fact Andrews has dominated at home this season. Franklin came out on top against Andrews by a score of 73-64 on Thursday. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 123rd, while the Wildcats are ranked 333rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.

Jack jack Teesateskie

Points

01/09/25 @ Andrews	23
01/07/25 vs North Henderson	24
01/03/25 vs Pisgah	18
12/30/24 vs Union County	15

Franklin's victory was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Jack Jack Teesateskie, who went 7 of 15 en route to 23 points. Teesateskie's evening made it four games in a row in which he has scored at least ten points. Another player making a difference was Max McClure, who dropped a double-double on 17 points and ten rebounds.

Meanwhile, West Henderson played a tough matchup on Thursday in which they were outscored in every quarter. They were dealt a 62-35 defeat at the hands of A.C. Reynolds. The contest marked the Falcons' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Franklin is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 10-3 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 76.4 points per game. As for West Henderson, their loss dropped their record down to 2-13.

Franklin ended up a good deal behind West Henderson in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, losing 72-55. Thankfully for Franklin, Jackson Lyda (who dropped a double-double on 34 points and 12 rebounds) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.