By CHIP CIRILLO | Photos by STEVE WHEELER
Franklin coach Darrin Joines gives his players the freedom to shoot plenty of 3-pointers. They’re making him look good.
The Rebels made 14 of 19 from beyond the arc for a 73.7 percent clip in an 88-75 win over visiting Independence on Friday night.
Junior guard Evan Sigler led the way with a career high 30 points, including eight 3-pointers, and his backcourt mate Reese Glover added 24 points with three 3-pointers.
“I think they really focused on Reese tonight and we were really passing the ball,” Sigler said. “I’ve got to give credit to my teammates. They were just finding me in open shots. It was a great win.”
Glover erupted for a career-high 41 points the previous Friday in a home win over Centennial.
Franklin (11-6, 4-2 District 11-AAA) took charge early in the fast-paced game, grabbing an 18-6 lead midway through the first quarter.
Independence (11-9, 3-4) played catch-up the rest of the way, never drawing closer than six points of the lead.
Senior forward Paul Rohde added 11 points for the Rebels, who are third in the district behind Summit (15-2, 4-0) and Brentwood (17-3, 5-1).
“I’ll tell you what makes us dangerous, we’ve got a lot of guys who can play,” Joines said. “Obviously, Reese and Evan get a lot of attention because they score a lot. But take a guy like Paul Rohde, hitting the boards and scoring inside when he can.
“And then you’ve got Jack Patton, taking guys to the basket. We’ve got unsung heroes like Carter Bowman. We’ve got some pieces. I think people that would say we are a one- or two-man show would be mistaken.”
Franklin shot 61.1% from the field, hitting 33 of 54.
Independence suffered its fifth straight loss despite 24 points from Jeremiah Barr, a 6-foot-3 guard.
Belmont signee Grayson Murphy, last season’s most valuable player in the district, added 18.
The 6-2 guard played with a facemask after fracturing his nose in Thursday’s loss at Brentwood.
“(Franklin) was hot tonight and not to make this as an excuse, but this was our fifth game in nine days,” Eagles coach Greg Glass said. “Our legs were heavy and they exposed it, and a good team like that is going to take advantage of situations like that. Sigler got hot, Reese is always hot and they did a good job of knocking down 3’s.”
Point guard Mack Jones scored 15 for the Eagles, who made seven 3-pointers.
Independence fell to fourth in the seven-team district.
Franklin plays district leader Summit twice in the next 11 days, including the first game between the rivals on Wednesday.
“I think we’re a lot more athletic than people give us credit for,” Joines said. “You look out there and go, ‘Well, that may not pass the look test’ and we start playing and it does. Like I said when I took the job here, these kids are my kind of guys.”
UP NEXT
Independence hosts Ravenwood on Tuesday.
Franklin visits Nolensville on Tuesday
