Franklin Regional, Mars each aim to claim 1st WPIAL boys basketball title

By: HSSN Staff
Thursday, March 1, 2018 | 2:01 PM

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When Mars boys basketball coach Rob Carmody first watched film on Franklin Regional, he immediately noticed his next opponent had a sense of charisma.

“The thing that jumps out right away about them is how much they enjoy playing together,” Carmody said. “It's obvious that the coaches and players have really created a great chemistry and that they really believe in one another. I think coach (Steve) Scorpion has done a great job in his first year of establishing a team that fits his personality.”

Franklin Regional (20-4) will enjoy playing together even more if it can find a way to upset top-seeded Mars (20-4) on Friday night in the WPIAL Class 5A championship game at Petersen Events Center.

The Panthers have relied on a stingy, chest-bumping defense throughout the playoffs, where they have allowed just 66 points in two wins. They held off Moon in the quarterfinals, 28-26, as the teams combined for four points in the fourth quarter, all on foul shots.

The third-seeded Panthers defeated Highlands in the semifinals, the Section 3 teams' third meeting of the season, 48-40. Mars, the consensus No. 1 in 5A all season, averages 74.3 points. The Planets' losses are to Section 2 rival Moon, City League power Allderdice and two out-of-state teams.

Senior guard Robby Carmody, a Notre Dame recruit, leads the WPIAL in scoring with a 33.2 average. He is a load to defend but also gives the Planets 14.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 4.1 steals. He has over 2,000 career points.

Carmody has been sick lately but his father said the standout will play Friday.

“Some of the best ones play better when they're sick,” Scorpion said.

Still, the younger Carmody doesn't do it all.

“Mars is very talented and they have guys who have been in big-time games,” Franklin Regional coach Steve Scorpion said. “It will be a battle.”

Junior guard Andrew Recchia scores 12.3 points, senior guard Cade Hetzler provides 10.9 points and 4.9 rebounds, and sophomore 6-foot-6 forward Michael Carmody chips in 8.4 points and 6.4 rebounds.

“The Recchia kid is a really good point guard,” Scorpion said. “And Carmody's brother can play too.”

Both teams have shown the ability to adjust to styles, but one will have to set the tone either from the start or in-game.

“I think both teams play a physical style but both are also able to utilize their skill and athleticism,” coach Carmody said. “In the playoffs, sometimes you have to change quarter to quarter, or possession to possession, to get the job done. I think both teams have proven throughout the year they can win games in any style that the game is played.”

Franklin Regional, whose bread-and-butter defense is man-to-man and its general offense a pass-and-cut, dribble-drive, relies on six seniors who know their roles. While the offense has been fleeting of late, the Panthers seem more confident than concerned as they prepare for The Pete.

“The ball might not be going in the hoop, but we're still finding ways to win,” Franklin Regional senior guard Nate Leopold said. “Defense can go with you everywhere.

“We're approaching it like any other game. But we know we have to pay more attention to (Carmody).”

As is the case with any team that lines up against the Planets. The Panthers hope they don't get “Robbed.”

Carmody can take it off the dribble, shoot from the arc and can flat out get up. He was in the voting for a national slam dunk contest to be aired on CBS during NCAA Final Four weekend.

“They need a basket, he is going to get it,” Scorpion said. “Honestly, with players like that, you just have to hope sometimes that he misses. You hope to limit what he does. He plays hard and really gets after it. He does what he needs to do to win.”

Said Franklin Regional senior forward Hunter Stonecheck, “He's the best in the WPIAL and you always want to go against the best.”

The Panthers may have to reach to the bottom of the tool box and employ a newly learned defense to slow Carmody as they continue their whatever-works philosophy in the postseason.

For Franklin Regional, “Defense gets us into our offense,” Leopold said. “Our transition, once it gets going, is hard to stop.”

Coach Carmody said the team that gets “comfortable in the environment” could have an advantage — which will be a new concept to both teams because neither has played in the finals. Franklin Regional's last championship appearance came in 1997 when it made back-to-back finals.

Will another Franklin Regional title-game appearance end like an episode of “This Is Us,” or are the Panthers destined to bring home the school's first boys basketball title?

“We have been talking about winning a WPIAL championship for the last six years,” Stonecheck said. “We knew we had a strong team. When some preseason Top 5's came out, that kind of lit a fire.”

Franklin Regional players say they can turn up the offense if needed.

“A lot of people will look at some of our playoff scores and think that we can't score, but there have been games where we've had 60-some points,” FR senior guard Mike Bartolacci said. “A lot of teams don't know how we play and compete. We can win in different ways.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Mars