Franklinton got off to a strong start in the second half of a 65-57 victory over Varnado on the road Tuesday.
The Demons led 30-22 at the break and began the third quarter with a 9-0 run to break the game open.
Franklinton had the ball to begin and Lorenzo Hart drained a 3-pointer to make it an 11-point game. T.Y. Pope blocked a shot, got possession and passed to Kian Conerly, who made the shot and got fouled. Conerly wasn’t able to convert the 3-point play, but his bucket made it a 35-22 lead with 6:32 on the clock. Hart then collected an offensive rebound and made the second-chance points. Conerly passed to Pope for two more and Franklinton was up, 39-22 with 5:41 left in the third quarter.
“I told the kids that we were kind of lacking energy in the first half and to focus on coming out with some energy in the second half and they did that. The problem was, we let them climb back in it with sloppy turnovers,” Franklinton coach Brad Oestriecher said.
Varnado worked its way back in the game after the second-half start. The Wildcats did not have a major run, but continued to put points on the board and trailed 49-40 through three.
The Wildcats continued to stay within a run of really making a game of it, but never could get make that spurt. Franklinton’s lead was between seven and 13 throughout the fourth quarter in the 65-57 win.
“It’s the way it’s been all season. We’ve been in the game and we either have the lead and can’t hold it or we’d be right there behind the whole game and just can’t. We’ve got to figure out how to get over the top,” Varnado coach Brett Cooper said. “We tried to slow down T.Y. (Pope) tonight and it seemed to work at first, but we gave him a few extra chances on the second-chance rebounds. We came in with a game plan to slow him down and make the other kids shoot and we can’t allow those second chances.”
The game was close throughout the first half.
Franklinton led 15-14 after the first quarter.
The Demons went up 23-16 in the second period and then Varnado scored six in a row, trimming the deficit to one.
McGowan hit a three and Brandon Lee grabbed an offensive board, made the putback, got fouled and converted the 3-point play to make it 23-22 at the 3:23 mark.
Franklinton ended the half with the final seven points.
Albert Browhaw passed to Pope for two with 2:40 left. Duke Bell went to Conerly for two and a foul. Franklinton committed a lane violation, so Varnado got the ball. Bell passed to Browhaw and Browhaw knocked down the 3-pointer from the right corner.
It was 30-22 at halftime.
The Demons scored the second half’s first nine points. Varnado continued to stay in the game despite the ending to the first half and beginning of the second half, but could not make the final run to get the lead.
Pope led all scorers with 28 points.
Browhaw posted 15 points. He was good on a pair of threes.
Hart recorded 11 points. He made three 3-pointers.
Conerly posted six points while Joshua Boughton had three and Bell added two.
McGowan led the Wildcats with 24 points. McGowan made six 3-pointers.
Jaheim Hooks posted 12 points. He made a three.
Lee recorded 11 points.
Javon Bickham scored five points while Jhaquawn McConnell had three and Adrian Bickham added two. McConnell made a three.
On Wednesday, Varnado was defeated by Archbishop Hannan, 58-32, in a road game.
Hooks led the Wildcats with eight points. Hooks hit a 3-pointer.
McGowan had seven while Trevon Haynes posted five, Lee tallied four and Javon Bickham, Kevis Brooks, Adrian Bickham and Elizah Miller all posted two. McGowan made a pair of threes.