Bulldogs hoops on Christmas hiatus, play three opponents before break

Franklin County’s varsity basketball teams saw their status change last week with a trio of court contests leading up to the Christmas holidays.

The Lady Bulldogs won three-straight road contests while the FC boys won one against Lawrence County before dropping two decisions in a row to Natchez and South Pike.

Here is a summary of basketball action during the past week:

GIRLS VARSITY BASKETBALL

FC 63, LAWRENCE COUNTY 58

Franklin County’s varsity girls ended a three-game losing streak by knocking off Lawrence County, 39-32, on the road Tuesday, Dec. 14.

The Lady Dawgs took an initial 9-4 lead in the first eight minutes of the game before Lawrence County charged back with an 11-7 run in the second quarter.

Leading by one, 16-15, to start the second half, FC outpaced its opponent, 11-2, before the host team rallied for a 15-12 run in the final frame.

JaSharreah Hunt paced the Lady Dawgs with 16 points, which included a pair of treys.

Niyla Wright finished the game with seven points while JaKya Brown and Rylei Turner added six apiece and DeAsia Buie finished with four.

As a whole, FC was 11-of-22 from the charity stripe with Hunt sinking 6-of-7, Brown hitting 2-of-3, Turner collecting 2-of-5 and Wright putting in 1-of-6.

FC 41, NATCHEZ 31

After a somewhat slow start, Franklin generated sufficient points to claim a 10-point win over host Natchez on Friday, Dec. 17.

Natchez took a 12-11 first-quarter lead over the visiting Lady Dawgs, but Franklin’s offense went on a 14-5 run in the second quarter to give the visiting team a 25-17 advantage.

Despite a 7-6 scoring effort by Natchez in the third quarter, FC was able to control the fourth quarter with a 10-7 scoring effort and hold on for the 41-31 win.

Hunt and Brown finished with 16 apiece for Franklin with Harmoni Porter scoring four, Turner and Wright adding two each and Buie chipping in one point.

The Lady Dawgs were 9-of-15 from the stripe with Hunt leading the way on a 5-of-6 shooting performance. Buie finished 1-of-2, Brown was 1-of-3 and Porter was 2-of-4.

FC 53, SOUTH PIKE 39

The Lady Bulldogs outscored South Pike in three of the four quarters of action Saturday, Dec. 18 in the Lions Club Classic played on the road.

FC outpaced South Pike 13-7 in the first, 11-7 in the second and 15-11 in the third. The two programs battled to a 14-all tie in the fourth frame.

Hunt was the high scorer in the contest with 21 points with Brown winding up with 17 and Wright tacking on 10.

Turner scored three points for the Lady Bulldogs and Porter scored two.

FC was 4-of-7 on free throws with Brown going 2-of-2 and Hunt hitting 2-of-3.

The three victories last week — all non-district games — boosted Franklin County to a 9-4 season record headed into the Christmas break.

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BOYS VARSITY BASKETBALL

FC 63, LAWRENCE COUNTY 58

After trailing 12-8 at the end of the first quarter, Franklin County’s offense came alive with a 20-12 second-quarter run that ultimately helped spur a 63-58 win over Lawrence County on the road Tuesday, Dec. 14.

In the third frame, FC went on a 19-14 tear before Lawrence County charged back with a 20-16 showing in the final frame.

The Dawgs finished in double figures in the contest — Michael Covington led with 17 while Daylen Thomas added 14 and Caleibria McDonald finished with 10.

Also contributing to the win were Amarion Wilson with eight, Kentrez Bonds scoring seven, Kobe Marshall tacking on four and Derrick Wilson chipping in three.

The Bulldogs had a 6-of-19 effort from the charity stripe in the victory with Covington finishing 2-of-4 and McDonald going 1-of-1.

The victory was Franklin County’s seventh-straight win and boosted the Bulldogs to a 10-1 overall record.

NATCHEZ 50, FC 41

Natchez did something on Friday, Dec. 17 that had not been done since Saturday, Nov. 6 when the Bulldogs traveled to face Provine by handing Franklin County a 50-41 loss.

The defeat ended a seven-game winning streak for FC.

Natchez set the tempo early with a 22-7 scoring spurt in the first frame before Franklin held its opponent scoreless with a 10-0 run in the second quarter.

The Dawgs kept the momentum through intermission by outpacing Natchez 15-9 in the third quarter.

The host team found its rhythm late and wound up outscoring FC down the stretch, 19-9, before the final horn sounded.

Covington and McDonald led the Dawgs with 14 and 11 points, respectively, in the contest. Marshall chipped in seven in the loss while Thomas added five, and Amarion Wilson and Bonds scored two each.

FC hit only 6-of-18 from the free throw line against Natchez as McDonald was 3-of-8, Covington was 1-of-4, Marshall was 1-of-2 and Thomas was 1-of-3.

SOUTH PIKE 57, FC 54

The Bulldogs lost their second game in a row by falling to South Pike, 57-54, on the road Saturday, Dec. 18 in the Lions Club Classic Tournament.

As was the case in recent games, FC trailed at the end of the first quarter, 17-10, but battled for a 13-9 run in the second frame and trailed by only three at the mid-game break.

Franklin outgained South Pike, 14-12, in the third and 15-5 in the final eight minutes of the game to end regulation in a 52-all tie.

In overtime, South Pike outscored FC, 5-2, to claim the victory and drop the Bulldogs to 10-3 on the season.

Marshall was Franklin’s top scorer with 12 points while Covington and Thomas wound up with 11 apiece.

Also on the tally sheet for the Bulldogs were McDonald with eight, Amarion Wilson and Derrick Wilson adding five each and Jay Malone scoring two points.

Franklin was 7-of-15 in terms of free throw shooting with Amarion Wilson hitting 3-of-4 and Thomas sinking 3-of-5.

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UPCOMING GAMES

The Franklin County basketball teams are slated to begin their post-holiday run with a district contest at Port Gibson beginning at 5 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 4.

The Dawgs will play host to Wilkinson County starting at 5 p.m., Friday, Jan. 7.

On Tuesday, Jan. 11, Franklin County travels to face Wesson in contests set to start at 5 p.m. The Dawgs will then travel to Hazlehurst for contests on Friday, Jan. 14 beginning at 6 p.m.