The Franklin Cougars will head out on the road to face off against the Burges Mustangs at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Tuesday, Franklin didn't have too much trouble with Socorro on the road as they won 65-49. The win made it back-to-back wins for Franklin.
Franklin's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Ethan Martinez led the charge by scoring 13 points along with 5 assists. The contest was Martinez's fourth in a row with at least ten points. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Hall, who scored 11 points along with 5 rebounds.
Meanwhile, Burges got the win against Irvin on Tuesday by a conclusive 66-44.
Burges' win was a true team effort, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Fernando Quian-ramirez, who scored 9 points along with 9 rebounds. Quian-ramirez is on a roll when it comes to steals, as he's now stole two or more in the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Phillip A. leff, who scored 12 points along with 3 steals.
Their wins bumped Franklin to 5-3 and Socorro to 5-2.
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: Franklin hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having only averaged 55.5 points per game. It's a different story for Burges, though, as they've been averaging only 66.2 per game. The only thing between Franklin and another offensive beatdown is Burges. Will they be able to keep them contained? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Franklin came up short against Burges in their previous meeting back in November of 2018, falling 67-62. Thankfully for Franklin, Tristen Newton (who scored 43 points along with 9 rebounds and 3 steals) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
