MEADVILLE — South Pike and Franklin County were knotted up coming out of halftime Tuesday night in both the boys and girls basketball games.
In both games, the first few minutes of the third quarter would be all the Eagles and Bulldogs needed to grab leads they would not relinquish.
Franklin County’s boys pulled away with an 8-0 run in two minutes on their way to a 77-67 win.
The South Pike Lady Eagles went on a 10-2 run as Franklin County never cut it to less than six the rest of the way in South Pike’s 59-45 victory.
The first half in the girls game was back-and-forth, with both teams pressing the entire length of the court. Whichever side made their shots had the advantage of setting up their pressure.
Franklin County cut leads at the end of the first and second and tied the game at 30.
“It’s almost like a chess match,” against Franklin County head coach Charles Moore, South Pike head coach Marcus Flippin said. “They gave us a lot more quickness than we’re used to.
“We decided to slow that thing down and let our experience be the advantage.”
A zone in the third quarter forced Franklin County to settle for outside shots and let South Pike get their nerves and feet under them to stretch the lead.
Kierra Addison played with foul trouble and scored 18 — 12 in the second half. Tomika Cook added 12 points of her own, but all the more astounding was the fact that South Pike survived 36 turnovers.
The Eagles haven’t been protecting the ball very well, and Franklin County certainly took it away enough to make it a sticking point.
“We’ve been doing it all year,” Flippin said. “We had 18 twice and everything else has been 20 or more.”
The pressure game is what Franklin County will look like this season, though that wasn’t the original plan.
“We need to be able to play a full-court game,” Moore said. “The fact that we made them get in a zone is big.”
Post players Paige Webster and CeeCee Davis were the cornerstones of the team, and Moore said “this summer we built the team around them.
“It’s been an odd year for us as far as losing players.”
Before the district schedule opened both have gone down with injuries, facilitating the reconfigured Lady Bulldogs.
“We hadn’t played in 14 days,” Moore said. “This is our first since CeeCee’s injury. We’ve got speed at every position, but it’s hard to play for four quarters at that speed.”
Fatigue certainly played some part in the second half as the Bulldogs were missing yet another player because of the flu, but Leondra Shaw finished with 16 points for Franklin County and Vintrice Briggs pulled down eight rebounds down low.
Franklin County 77, S. Pike 67
The Franklin County boys made sure the Eagles wouldn’t make one of their runs to get back into the game like they had done twice before in the first half.
Eight straight points to start the second half and a solid effort in the paint overcame the Bulldogs’ rusty shooting from the free throw line.
“This is after just five days of practice since football,” Franklin County head coach Chris Jordan said. “We played together well tonight.”
The Bulldogs had built a quick six-point lead until three straight Trevosity Ellzey buckets gave South Pike a lead. Franklin County found another lead, getting up by as many as nine before the Eagles tied it going to the half. The effort came partly from the line and partly from down low, with points from Maurice Varnado and Devontee Cook.
Cook finished with 16 points and 14 boards, while Trevosity Ellzey added 14 of his own. Donerrick Ellzey scored 12.
In the second half, Franklin County didn’t let that happen. They made the eight-point advantage stick.
“We were missing key box outs and key close shots,” South Pike head coach Joe Taylor said. “A loss is a loss.
“We’re still going to play like we’re playing. They’ve got to learn when they’re down they’re not out.”
Jamie Collins worked his way to a 19-point, 13-rebound night, while Jordan Hunt added 15 in the paint. Taylor Washington also recorded a double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Milton Griffin finished in double figures with 12 to keep the Bulldogs ahead for their first district win.
