Basketball Recap: Franklin Central Comes Up Short

After flying high against Worcester last Tuesday, Franklin Central came back down to earth. The Franklin Central Purple Devils fell 44-35 to the Cherry Valley-Springfield Patriots on Thursday. The loss continues a trend for the Purple Devils in their matchups with the Patriots: they've now lost three in a row.

Shannon Kingsbury

Steals

01/09/25 @ Cherry Valley-Springfield	10
01/07/25 vs Worcester	17
12/28/24 vs Margaretville Central	11
12/27/24 @ Stamford Central	6
12/18/24 @ Gilbertsville-Mt. Upton	12

Despite the defeat, Franklin Central saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Shannon Kingsbury dropped a double-double on 25 points and ten steals. Kingsbury has been hot for a while, having posted two or more steals the last 28 times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Zaeda Beadle, who posted two points and 18 boards.

Even though they lost, Franklin Central smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least eight offensive boards in 16 consecutive contests dating back to last season.

Franklin Central's loss dropped their record down to 5-5. As for Cherry Valley-Springfield, their win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-1.

Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Franklin Central will venture away from home to challenge Morris Central at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. As for Cherry Valley-Springfield, they will square off against Unatego at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Cherry Valley-Springfield's defense has only allowed 30 points per game this season, so Unatego's offense will have their work cut out for them.