The Franklin Panthers entered their tilt with the Smoky Mountain Mustangs with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. Franklin took down Smoky Mountain 78-59 on Friday. Given Franklin's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 172nd, while Smoky Mountain is ranked 480th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Leading Franklin to victory were William Rauers and Max Mcclure. Rauers scored 21 points along with nine rebounds and three steals, while Mcclure scored 25 points along with four steals. Mcclure hasn't dropped below 15points for seven straight games. Another player making a difference was Braylen Dezarn, who scored ten points along with three steals.
When it comes to explaining why Smoky Mountain lost, one person who can't be blamed is Lane Wike. Despite the final result, he scored 25 points along with eight rebounds. As a matter of fact, that's the most points Wike has scored all season. Ben Brown was another key contributor, scoring 12 points.
Franklin has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. As for Smoky Mountain, their loss was their 12th straight on the road dating back to last season, which bumped their record down to 4-12.
Franklin will take on West Henderson at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. West Henderson knows how to get points on the board -- the team has finished with flashy point totals in its past five games -- so hopefully Franklin likes a good challenge. As for Smoky Mountain, they will be playing at home against Tuscola at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday.
