The season ended March 19 for Lady Warriors basketball, but it took the best team in the state to do it.
Franklin fell to the Warriors of Manasquan High School 62-52 in a NJSIAA Tournament of Champions semi-final contest, a game that saw the Lady Warriors hold their only lead – by a slim 4 points – for only a few minutes.
In contrast to the quarter-final game against Middletown South, where it seemed just about everything the Lady Warriors threw up fell into the net, baskets March 19 were hard to come by for Franklin.
Standout Adriana Miller found out early in the game that the three-point touch she had against Middletown had left her, although she was able to sink two long-distance shots during the game. Miller finished with 16 points, one behind Franklin’s leading scorer, Mary Trossi.
Franklin and Manasquan traded baskets for the first two scores at the game’s start, but then, the Lady Warriors jumped to am 8-4 lead.
That was short lived, though, and Mansaquan’s Warriors ended the first quarter up 26-15.
Franklin had no intention of going away quietly. Although they were down 30-19 half-way through the second quarter, the Lady Warriors fought back to cut the lead to two points – 32-30 – by the end of the quarter, outscoring Manasquan 15-6.
The third quarter was more evenly matched, with both teams scoring 10 points and Manasquan retaining the two point lead.
It was in the fourth quarter when things started falling apart for the Lady Warriors. Manasquan poured it on, outscoring Franklin 20-12.
Both Trossi and Miller got into foul trouble, forcing them to the bench for extended periods during the game.
After the game, Miller said that although she and her teammates fought, their shots just weren’t dropping.
“The game of basketball is about who makes the shots at the end of the day,” she said. “Our shots weren’t falling and on defense, we couldn’t get as physical because they were gong to call everything.”
“We tried to fight,” she said.
Coach Audrey Taylor said her girls “played hard,” but missed shots and not being able to play as physical a game as they’re used to took its toll on the Lady Warriors.
“They played hard, and that’s all I can ask them to do,” she said.
Regardless of the outcome, Taylor said, she is proud of her team. The team went further in the state tournament than any other Franklin girls’ team, winning the group championship along the way.
“These girls are warriors, mentally, physically, they fought through so many different battles to get where they are today,” she said. “I can’t be more proud of them. They fought as a team, and they kept sticking together and never giving up, and you can;t ask for much more than that.”
“These girls have played together since middle school,” Taylor said. “They’ve had such a long run together. From middle school to here and to get to where we got, and to put Franklin on the map and earn that respect for this program, they did their job, that’s all I can say.”
Miller, who has committed to LaSalle next year, said she will miss her teammates.
“I love them to death,” she said.
Miller said the team “got farther than we expected and silenced those who doubted them, “saying we wouldn’t get this far.”
“I’m going to miss the whole team, but we’re all going to different chapters in out lives and I know they;re going to do fine,” she said.