ATTLEBORO – In a matchup between the top two boys basketball teams in the MIAA Div. 1 power rankings, it was fitting that the contest came down to the wire between Franklin and Attleboro.
A late defensive surge and a huge lift from senior Wyatt Herndon was more than enough to push Franklin past Attleboro 58-53 for the second time this season in the Hockomock Kelley-Rex matchup on the road.
“The story of the season is just the way we have been defending and keeping ourselves around,” said Panthers coach CJ Neely. “It’s like we have some offensive lulls at times.”
With a 41-38 deficit at the end of three, Franklin (18-0) did not allow a field goal until midway through the frame to go up 45-41 after a Herndon layup.
From there, Herndon knocked down another triple to make it 54-48 with just under a minute left as the Panthers made enough free throws to seal the victory.
“Wyatt doesn’t score a ton for us, but he always finds his way into a late three or a corner three,” Neely said about the senior. “He just runs around and chases people all night. We’re surprised he has any energy at all to make some of these shots the way he defends.”
In the first quarter, the return of junior LaDainian Rodrigues (22 points, 10 rebounds) was much welcomed after missing the first matchup just under a month ago as he scored 10 of his first-half 14 points in the opening frame to help build a 15-6 lead for Attleboro.
After that, senior Caden Sullivan caught fire and knocked down back-to-back triples late in the first to make it a 17-14 contest after one.
Sullivan then drained his fourth three-pointer to knot the score 17-all as the teams accounted for six ties and seven lead changes in the second. Franklin ended up with the final three points, including a free throw for Sullivan to finish off his 16 points at the break with a 30-28 advantage.
“Caden is just a fearless competitor who just does that all the time,” Neely said about the timely triples. “They were obviously huge to get us going after a little bit of a rough start.”
Sullivan dropped a game-high 26 points with 4-of-8 shooting from distance. Justice Samuels added 15 points for the Panthers.
Next up, the Panthers will play at Milford on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m., while the Blue Bombardiers will battle against Sharon on the road on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.