The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
Senior Night for the Franklin High School boys’ basketball team proved sweeter than usual February 8, with the Warriors scoring a thrilling 64-61 overtime victory over Ridge.
Warrior seniors stepped up, with four of them scoring in double-digits.
Franklin took a fast lead in the game, ahead by as many as nine points, but Ridge soon found its footing and cut the deficit. Still, Franklin lead 17-11 at the end of the first quarter.
Ridge bounced back in the second quarter, outscoring Franklin 12-9, but the Warriors still had a 26-23 lead going into halftime.
The third period was nearly the exact opposite of the first, with Ridge outscoring Franklin 17-12, and taking a 40-38 lead into the final frame.
The two teams traded leads during the fourth quarter, with Ridge tying the game at 53 with about a minute left.
The Warriors dominated the OT frame, outscoring Ridge 11-8 with some clutch shooting by Seniors Landon Miller and Cam Brown.
Miller led all Warrior scorers with 22 points. He also went 4-5 from the foul line, and dropped two 3-pointers.
Senior Elisha Brown scored 12 points, including six from beyond the arc,
Seniors Brown and Devon Riddick scored 10 points each. Brown went 3-4 from the foul line, while Riddick dropped four of his eight free-throw attempts.
Also contributing was freshman Jah’naad Cady, who scored two points, both of them from the foul line.
With the win, the Warriors improve to 12=10 overall and 4-4 in the Skyland Conference.
The Ridge game ended the Warriors’ regular season. Next up is the Somerset County Tournament, in which Franklin is ranked 6th and received a bye in the first round. The Warriors take on Bridgewater-Raritan at home in the second round on February 10.
The winner of that game will go on to face No. 3 Watching Hills on February 13 at Watchung Hills.
Here are some scenes from the game:
