Franklin Survives Late Bainbridge Surge

Franklin Survives Late Bainbridge Surge
By Steven Dion

Heading into Holiday break, teams are anxious to finish off on a high note before the short time off. The Franklin Quakers and Spartans from Bainbridge Island proved this to be true on their back-and-forth showdown Friday night in Seattle. Both teams had trouble scoring early, but Franklin was able to finish the first quarter strong with a Emanuel Siale providing the hot hand. The Spartans were prepared to give the Quakers a taste of their own medicine by matching their nineteen points in the second quarter through intense perimeter defense. BIHS distributed the ball well by registering five scorers in the frame. At half, Bainbridge led 28-25.

Quaker sophomore Keith Smith was determined to regain the lead in the third quarter by scoring 15 of his team’s 17 points. He made six of eight field goal attempts in the frame and put Franklin back in the driver’s seat. But Bainbridge was not ready to hop on the ferry quite yet. One of the Spartans eight juniors Blake Swanson began burying open looks down the stretch to keep the contest tight. The guard notched 11 in the quarter. However, Smith was able to knock down free throws after intentional fouls and in doing so, sealed the victory for the home team. The final score was Franklin 66 Bainbridge 63.

Top Performers:
Franklin
Keith Smith 32 points (8/15 FG’s, 15/19 FT’s)