Franklin Regional pulls away after Penn-Trafford shrinks Panthers’ big lead

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, January 2, 2024 | 10:40 PM

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Franklin Regional has a pilot light that burns brightly and ignites the Panthers’ fast-paced attack.

Coach Jesse Reed never wants to see that light burn out, but he wants to temper it.

Why? Because he loves his team’s fire. It’s just a matter of when to crank up the heat.

“It’s about keeping our emotions in check and not getting out of character,” Reed said. “We need to worry about ourselves.”

Four players reached double figures in scoring as Franklin Regional sprinted past Penn-Trafford, 69-51, on Tuesday night in the Section 3-5A boys basketball opener in Harrison City.

Senior guards Cooper Rankin and Cam Rowell again set the pace for the Panthers (9-1, 1-0), scoring 22 and 19 points, respectively, and seniors Colin Masten and Fin Hutchison finished with 11 each.

Masten scored 10 in the fourth.

Rankin said the team plays with an edge but is trying to dial it back in key situations so as not to create self-inflicted problems.

“We just have to keep calm at times and let the officials do their job,” he said. “I got a technical on a jump ball. There wasn’t much I could do. We have to play as a team and keep playing defense. Our defense tonight wasn’t our best, but it was good enough.”

Franklin Regional has won four in a row, including an impressive 61-53 win over North Allegheny. A 63-60 loss to Butler also showed the Panthers can play with a good 6A team.

A 23-point fourth quarter allowed the Panthers to finish the Warriors (6-5, 0-1), who trimmed a 13-point deficit to four late in the third before Franklin Regional pulled away.

Senior guard Tyler Freas led the Warriors with 20 points, including eight in the third when he made two 3-pointers.

Instead of another tight finish — the Warriors have had four games decided by two points or fewer — the final quarter slipped away.

“It’s disappointing,” Warriors coach Doug Kelly said. “(Franklin Regional) did things we know they can do. It’s the little things. We can’t get good starts. We need to execute on offense and not have that lack of focus.”

After junior guard Brayden Stone hit a 3-pointer to get Penn-Trafford within 43-39, the Panthers gradually pushed the lead back to double figures, with Hutchison finishing a three-point play to make it 53-43 halfway through the fourth.

Rankin nailed a 3, and Masten scored on a four-pass fast break for a 15-point lead.

“I liked our resiliency,” Reed said. “They cut it four in the third quarter, and we relied on our senior leadership. I was proud of how we played in the second half defensively.”

Franklin Regional led for most of the first half, powered by Ranklin and Rowell, who took turns getting to the rim and finishing.

Rowell had two dunks, the second on a fast break, and Rankin scored on a number of spinning drives.

One such basket gave the Panthers a 23-10 lead late in the second quarter.

Penn-Trafford made a run to trim the margin to five, at 28-23, as Freas hit a 3-pointer in transition, then scored on a layup.

The Panthers took a 32-26 edge into the break and led 46-39 after three.

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

Tags: Franklin Regional, Penn-Trafford