Diamond Miller drives during the FHS Lady Warriors’ Feb. 27 game against Dickinson High School.

The Franklin High School Lady Warriors dominated the Dickinson Rams Feb 27 in a 70-52 win in the first round of the NJSIAA sectional tournament.

The Warriors next play North Hunterdon High School on March 1, after their victory over Franklin arch-rival Piscataway.

The game began slowly, but the Warriors soon got down to business in the first quarter, ending the frame with a 14-point lead, 25-11.

The Warriors picked up in the second quarter where they left off in the first quarter, outscoring Dickinson 19-13 to end the half with a commanding 44-24 lead.

The second half went the same way, with Dickinson never getting closer than double-digits.

Diamond Miller lead Franklin scorers with 17 points, including three three-pointers. Tiana Jackson finished with 16 points, while Camille Gray scored 12 points in the effort.

Coach Audrey Taylor said the girls played an overall even game.

“I thought the energy in the building when they first started was kind of lackadaisical, but then they started to pick it up which was nice,” she said.

“I think they played well as a team, it was a well-rounded game,” Taylor said. “Everybody had an opportunity to score, they moved the ball around, they worked well in transition. Overall they did well.”

The key to Franklin winning, Taylor said, is maintaining their game pace.

“We’ve been talking about energy all season,” she said. Defensively, that’s kid of what drives us. If we bring the energy and enthusiasm in our defense, it’s hard to score against us. If we don’t and we’re laid back, a lot of people can penetrate either our man or our zone.”

2017 Lady Warriors vs Dickinson