‘R&R’ duo fills highlight reels, leads Franklin Regional to strong start

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, January 13, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Franklin Regional caught the attention of local boys basketball fans with its 10-1 start.

The Panthers’ run has a lot to do with the play of a formidable tandem made up of seniors Cam Rowell and Cooper Rankin.

The “R&R” duo has been fun to watch and helped elevate the Panthers into the TribLive HSSN top 5 rankings.

They were No. 4 going into the second week of January.

Rowell was averaging 16.9 points and Rankin 14.6.

The guards have a clear connection on the floor. Against Penn-Trafford, Rankin tossed an alley-oop to Rowell and, while Rowell just missed the dunk, the pair’s court awareness and athleticism was clear.

Rowell had two dunks in the win.

They look for each other, but have a quality, complementary lineup around them in seniors Colin Masten and Fin Hutchison and junior Connor Crossey.

“They have great chemistry together,” Panthers coach Jesse Reed said. “When Cam was out last year and Cooper missed three games, we were a different team. There was a big dropoff. Other guys stepped up. But we’re going to go as Coop and Cam go.”

Said Rankin: “I can rip it and go score, or he can rip it and go score. We feed off each other.”

Franklin Regional was leading Section 3-5A in scoring at 63.5 points per game heading into a first-place showdown with No. 1 Gateway.

Rowell has turned heads with his slam dunks this season, many that seem to come out of nowhere.

Like the one he threw down against Penn-Trafford earlier in the season, for instance.

Rowell led a two-on-one break and delivered a leaning, two-handed jam with a slight hang on the rim as a defender went under him.

The slam was the No. 3 best on Hudl’s top 5 “Wild Dunks” of the week.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional