Lady Rebels rally past Brentwood

By CHIP CIRILLO | Photos by STEVE WHEELER

Franklin relied on its defense for a comeback win at Brentwood.

The Lady Rebels rallied from a five-point halftime deficit in a 41-38 victory over the Lady Bruins on Tuesday night.

“I think the game turned on those first few possessions in the third quarter where we just really got in a stance guarding them and made it really difficult for them, and created some things for ourselves offensively – a couple of transition opportunities,” Franklin coach Darrell Barnwell said. “So, I think the big change in the second half was our defensive effort – intensity – and that carried us all the way through to the end.”

Franklin (10-5, 2-1 District 11-AAA) started the second half with an 8-0 run and outscored Brentwood 12-3 in the third quarter, turning a 24-19 halftime deficit into a 31-27 lead.

Junior guard Holly Harris led the Lady Rebels with 14 points and Jilian King added nine.

“Defense is where we get any of our momentum to be able to do well at all,” Harris said.

Brentwood (4-11, 0-3) suffered its fifth straight loss and Franklin won its third consecutive game.

“Our inability to put the ball in the hole in the third quarter,” said Brentwood coach Ronnie Seigenthaler when asked how the game slipped away. “We scored three points in the third quarter and, unless your defense is better than Alabama football, you’re going to lose any lead that you have. That little stretch changed the complexity of the ball game.”

Guard Abby Shealy and Olivia Ryals led the Lady Bruins with 10 points each. Shealy’s 3-pointer late in the third quarter was the only Brentwood offense during that eight-minute span.

“We were just out of whack in that third quarter,” Shealy said. “We couldn’t get back into an offensive groove. They took us by surprise and we could not score to save our lives. We were just out of sync and you can’t have those mental breaks.”

Shealy sprained her left ankle late in the first half, but finished the game and doesn’t think the injury will keep her out of the lineup.

Brentwood rallied to tie the game at 31 early in the fourth quarter, but Franklin answered with a 5-0 spurt and led the rest of the way as its man-to-man defense clamped down on the Lady Bruins.

UP NEXT

Franklin hosts Centennial on Friday.

Brentwood visits Dickson County on Friday.