Benjamin Franklin is 0-4 against Constitution since January of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Benjamin Franklin Electrons will head out on the road to challenge the Constitution Generals at 6:30 p.m. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Benjamin Franklin had already proven themselves in the regular season, and didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They pulled ahead with a 55-54 photo finish over Audenried. Given Benjamin Franklin's advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania basketball rankings (they are ranked 230th, while Audenried is ranked 519th), the result on Thursday wasn't entirely unexpected.
Benjamin Franklin's success was spearheaded by the efforts of Nazire Johnson, who dropped a double-double on 24 points and 13 rebounds, and Soukare Fane, who scored 22 points along with six rebounds and three steals. Johnson also posted two+ blocks for the first time this season. Another player making a difference was Kneco Hill, who scored four points along with eight assists and eight rebounds.
Meanwhile, Constitution had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 18.5 points), and they went ahead and made it five on Thursday. They blew past Martin Luther King 80-44 at home. Constitution has made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won seven matchups by 21 points or more this season.
Constitution's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Kyree Latimer led the charge by scoring 23 points along with seven assists. Amir Speights was another key contributor, scoring 23 points.
Benjamin Franklin pushed their record up to 14-4 with that win, which was their seventh straight at home. As for Constitution, they are on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 18-5 record this season.
This contest is one where the number of possessions is likely to be a big factor: Benjamin Franklin have been smashing the glass this season, having averaged 33.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Constitution struggles in that department as they've been averaging 28.5 rebounds per game. Given these competing strengths, it'll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Benjamin Franklin was dealt a bruising 89-44 defeat at the hands of Constitution when the teams last played back in December of 2023. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Latimer, who scored 29 points along with five rebounds and four steals. Now that Benjamin Franklin knows the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
