Having just played yesterday, the Franklin Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Hayesville Yellowjackets at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Franklin will be strutting in after a victory while Hayesville will be coming in after a defeat.
On Wednesday, Franklin didn't have too much trouble with Smoky Mountain as they won 56-40.
Meanwhile, Hayesville came up short against Hiwassee Dam last Tuesday and fell 49-42. While losing is never fun, the Yellowjackets can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 357th, while the Eagles are ranked 177th).
Franklin will need focus on slowing down Ava Shook, one of several Hayesville players who made an impact when they last played. She posted 13 points along with six assists and five boards. Shook is trending in the right direction considering she's improved her point production for three straight games. Another player making a difference was Bryleigh Krieger, who scored five points in addition to seven rebounds and three steals.
Even though they lost, Hayesville smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 18 offensive rebounds. That's the most offensive boards they've posted since back in January of 2024.
Franklin has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matches, which provided a massive bump to their 8-7 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 54.3 points per game. As for Hayesville, their loss ended a seven-game streak of wins at home dating back to last season and dropped them to 4-6.
Franklin couldn't quite finish off Hayesville in their previous meeting back in December of 2023 and fell 62-60. Can Franklin avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
