The Franklin Panthers had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.5 points), and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They strolled past Smoky Mountain with points to spare, taking the game 78-59. Given Franklin's advantage in MaxPreps' North Carolina basketball rankings (they are ranked 174th, while Smoky Mountain is ranked 473rd), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Franklin was led to victory by 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 is on a roll when it comes to points, as he's now scored 15 or more in the last seven games he's played. Another player making a difference was Braylen Dezarn, who scored ten points along with three steals.
Franklin is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. As for Smoky Mountain, they bumped their record down to 4-12 with that loss, which was their 12th straight on the road dating back to last season.
Franklin will face off against West Henderson at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in West Henderson's favor is that they have posted big point totals in their last five matches. As for Smoky Mountain, they will be playing at home against Tuscola at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Tuscola comes in still looking for their first win of the season.
