Franklin’s late burst downs Whiteland

Good and bad bounces happen to everyone in basketball, but generally speaking, good teams make their own luck.

Franklin’s boys did just that Friday night, using a few big plays to turn the tide in their favor late for a 61-50 victory against rival Whiteland.

Cory Richards scored a game-high 22 points and Reece Thomson added 16 of his 18 in the second half to lead the Grizzly Cubs (8-5, 3-1 Mid-State Conference).

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“It was just a couple of turning-point plays there in the fourth quarter where we were able to pick up a loose ball, convert a layup and execute a couple of positive plays made all the difference,” Franklin coach Brad Dickey said.

A bucket by Luke Helton put the Warriors on top 38-37 with a little under five and a half minutes to go. But Thomson answered with a three-point play at the 5:17 mark, then came up with a steal and fed Richards for another layup to put Franklin up by four.

Whiteland got no closer than that in the closing minutes, as consecutive baskets by Thomson started an 8-0 run that stretched the Grizzly Cubs’ lead to 57-45 with 1:07 remaining.

Blaine Wentzell scored eight of his 13 points in the fourth quarter for Franklin, including a pair of 3-pointers.

“When we’re all three scoring, we’re tough to play,” Richards said. “I’m glad Reece got going, Blaine hit a couple of big shots and I had a pretty good night.”

Neither team could maintain control for long during a close first half that featured five lead changes. Whiteland tightened up its defense in the second quarter, holding the Grizzly Cubs to nine points to go into halftime with a slim 24-23 edge.

The game stayed close through much of the second half, with neither team going ahead by more than three before Franklin responded to Helton’s go-ahead bucket with its 20-7 surge in the fourth.

“I thought through three quarters, our defensive effort was pretty solid,” Whiteland coach Matt Wadsworth said, “and I liked our shot selection through three quarters. It just got away from us.”

Brennan Neal paced the Warriors (5-8, 0-3) with 15 points, while Carter Crowe added 12.

The victory left Franklin tied with Decatur Central atop the Mid-State standings with a pair of conference games left for each team. The Grizzly Cubs step out of league play to face New Palestine tonight, while Whiteland is off until it hosts Mooresville next Friday.