Basketball Recap: Franklin Skates Past Murphy with Ease

After losing to Murphy the last time they met, Franklin decided to demonstrate that turnabout is fair play. The Franklin Panthers took their matchup on Thursday with ease, bagging a 76-49 victory over the Murphy Bulldogs. The Panthers pushed the score to 60-35 by the end of the third, a deficit the Bulldogs had little chance of recovering from.

Franklin was led to victory by Max McClure and Jack Jack Teesateskie. McClure dropped a double-double on 31 points and 15 boards, while Teesateskie went 7 of 14 on his way to 21 points and three steals. With that strong performance, McClure is now averaging an impressive 9.2 boards per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Brannon, who posted seven points and three steals.

Franklin smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 11 offensive boards. That's the most offensive rebounds they've managed all season.

When it comes to explaining why Murphy lost, don't look at Tyler Payne. Despite the final result, he went 6 of 11 on his way to 16 points and eight rebounds. Those eight boards gave Payne a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Bradey Golden, who put up 11 points and five rebounds.

The win made it two in a row for Franklin and bumps their season record up to 4-1. As for Murphy, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 0-2.

Franklin didn't take long to hit the court again: they've already played their next game, a 75-59 loss against McDowell on the 20th. As for Murphy, they also wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 68-39 victory against Hiwassee Dam on the 20th.