Statements made: FC hoops finishes regular season with wins

Franklin County’s varsity basketball teams ended their regular season campaigns last week with wins over Hazlehurst and Jefferson County.

The girls wound up their season with a 20-4 overall record while going 10-0 in 7-3A divisional play. The Lady Dawgs reeled off 13-straight wins to wrap up the 2021-2022 season

FC’s boys finished their season with a 19-5 mark and were 9-1 in regional competition — with their one district loss coming at the hands of Hazlehurst on Friday, Jan. 14.

The Dawgs boasted a six-game winning streak to end their regular season.

“Both teams had great regular seasons and I could not be more proud of what they have accomplished on and off the court,” Head Coach Rickey Van O’Quinn said following last week’s wins.

“Now, our attention turns to the division tournament that will be played at Wilkinson County High School this week. The boys will play at 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 10 followed by the girls at 7 p.m., with the championship rounds set for Friday night.”

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FC VARSITY GIRLS

FC 60, HAZLEHURST 27

The Lady Bulldogs outscored Hazlehurst from start to finish on Tuesday, Feb. 1 with FC rolling to a 19-6 offensive domination of the first quarter and outpaced the Lady Indians, 12-5, in the second period.

Things didn’t slow up for Franklin, who outscored Hazlehurst, 18-7, in the third frame and 11-9 in the last eight minutes of the game.

JaKya Brown led the Lady Bulldogs’ effort with 21 points, with 12 of those coming before intermission and a trey in the second half.

In addition, senior Ja’Sharreah Hunt contributed 17 points to the FC win and senior Rylei Turner had one of her strongest nights of the season with 13.

Others chipping in for the Lady Dawgs’ victory included Harmoni Porter with four; Niyla Wright adding three; and DeAsia Buie scoring two.

Franklin County finished 4-of-13 from the free throw line with Hunt hitting 3-of-5 in the effort while Wright was 1-of-2.

Last Tuesday’s win was the second of the season by FC over Hazlehurst as the Lady Dawgs previously thumped the Lady Indians, 57-19, on the road back on Jan. 14.

FC 52, JEFFERSON CO. 20

The Lady Dawgs scored early and often on Friday, Feb. 4 against the Lady Tigers with FC going on runs of 12-9 in the first quarter, 19-4 in the second frame and 19-4 in the third period.

Jefferson County outscored Franklin, 3-2, in the final eight minutes of the game, but it was a too little-too late burst that had little impact on the final outcome.

Brown paced the Lady Dawgs with a game-high 23 points while Hunt finished with 15.

Porter scored seven for FC while Wright added three and Buie and Turner finished with two apiece.

The Lady Dawgs shot 15-of-31 from the free throw line with Hunt and Wright dropping in 3-of-6 each, Buie going 2-of-4, Porter sinking 1-of-2 and Brown shooting 6-of-11.
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FC VARSITY BOYS

FC 62, HAZLEHURST 56

After trailing much of the game against Hazlehurst, Franklin County’s varsity boys basketball program began to methodically pull away late to claim a 62-56 win at home over the Indians on Tuesday, Feb. 1.

The Indians jumped out to an 16-8 advantage in the first quarter and kept the momentum by leading 12-10 through the remainder of the first half – holding a 10-point lead over FC at the mid-game break.

After intermission, Franklin County came out of the locker room and went on an 11-10 tear in the third quarter to trail 38-29.

The Bulldogs then pulled out to an impressive 33-16 run in the fourth frame, including a key three-pointer at the final buzzer by Caleibria McDonald, to seal the six-point victory.

Daylen Thomas paced the Dawgs with a team-high 17 points with 12 of those coming in the second half while McDonald and Michael Covington accounted for 13 apiece.

Covington proved to have the hot hand late – thanks to 11 points in the fourth quarter with a pair of treys in the frame to spur the Bulldogs’ offense.

Other Bulldogs making their presence felt offensively included: Kobe Marshall with eight points, Amarion Wilson tacking on six and Derrick Wilson adding five.

The Bulldogs were 8-of-16 from the charity stripe against Hazlehurst with Covington sinking 4-of-6, Thomas connecting on 3-of-6 and Derrick Wilson hitting 1-of-1.

FC 80, JEFFERSON CO. 38

The Dawgs led from start to finish against Jefferson County for an 80-38 road win over the Tigers at Alcorn State University on Friday, Feb. 4.

Three FC players finished in double figures with Thomas scoring 19 while McDonald sinking 14 and Derrick Wilson chipping in 11.

Additionally, Covington and Marshall each had nine points while Iverson Hughes contributed six, Amarion Wilson scored three and Jailen Hunt, Kentrez Bonds, Bradley Washington and Jay Malone finished with two apiece.

Franklin went 10-of-17 from the line against the Tigers with McDonald and Malone going 2-of-2 and Covington sinking 1-of-1.

Thomas would up 2-for-4 from the stripe while Marshall and Washington were both 1-of-2 in the contest.