Franklin Can’t Match North Second Half Pressure, Falls in D1 Final

Franklin boys basketball Caden Sullivan
Franklin junior Caden Sullivan is fouled going up for a layup in the first half against Worcester North in the D1 state final at the Tsongas Center. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

By Josh Perry || HockomockSports.com Managing Editor

LOWELL, Mass. – Two minutes into the second half of Sunday night’s Div. 1 title game at the Tsongas Center, Sean O’Leary drew the North High defense and kicked it out to Andrew O’Neill for a three-pointer from the left wing. Franklin (25-2) pushed its lead to a dozen, the largest lead anyone in the state had managed against the undefeated top seed this season.

The Panthers looked confident and ready to make the program’s third trip to a state title game the one that ended in victory.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Instead, the Polar Bears found another gear. The defensive pressure ramped up to a new level, Franklin was held without a made basket for the first first six minutes of the fourth quarter, and, in front of a raucous, packed house in Lowell, the defending champs came from behind to win 59-53 and retain their crown.

“I give our guys a lot of credit for battling and staying with it but that was a freight train in the second half that unfortunately we weren’t ready to take care of and I feel terrible for the guys,” Franklin coach CJ Neely said. “The toughest, most together group we’ve ever had and a group that I felt deserved a state championship.”

Rebounding was always going to be an issue for the Panthers against North’s athleticism and length. Neely admitted there was only so much that he could do in practice to replicate the ability of North’s 6-foot-6 forwards Joseph Okla (12 points and 12 rebounds) and Teshaun Steele (17 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks), who gave the Polar Bears extra shots on almost every possession.

“We’ve been playing 6-on-5 all week, putting a seventh guy in there sometimes, just because we knew the pressure was coming, we knew we were going to get guys in our face,” he said.

Neely added, “We can do as many rebounding drills as you want to do but when you have two 6-6 guys jumping over the top of you, you can’t simulate that with a bunch of 6-foot, 5-11 guys as tough as they are and as hard as they play.”

That edge on the glass was evident right from the opening tip, but the Panthers were able to match the intensity early to get good looks on the other end. Amir Jenkins (21 points, six rebounds, and six assists) buried a three to start the game and Steele had a put-back to make it 5-0.

Caden Sullivan gave the Panthers a spark with a pair of threes to pull in front. Bradley Herndon (eight points and six assists) got into the lane and finished to put Franklin up 9-7 and, after North went on a 7-0 run, Hansy Jacques (nine points) made a nice feed to O’Neill (eight rebounds) on a backdoor cut to make it 14-11 after one.

Sullivan epitomized Franklin’s lack of fear against a team on a 44-game win streak. He opened the second quarter by taking it to the rim, finishing plus the foul. After O’Leary (five points and three assists) and Jacques both got wide open layups on inbound plays (both assisted by Herndon), Franklin led 22-16.

Jenkins found Steele underneath for a three-point play and Steele got out in transition to throw down a thunderous dunk that got the large contingent of North faithful fired up. Sullivan was able to answer, again finishing through contact at the rim. He scored 13 of his game-high 24 points in the first half.

“Caden’s a gamer,” Neely said. “That’s one thing, I don’t think that they played afraid at all tonight, they just got beat. That’s kind of the identity of the team. I know we’re not going to be afraid, I know we’re not going to be scared, and I know we’re going to play with confidence.”

With time running down in the second quarter, Justice Samuels drove into the lane and kicked it out to Jacques, who drilled a three right before the buzzer and the Panthers went into the locker room leading 32-25.

Everyone expected North to turn up the pressure in the second half, so it felt like the Panthers would need to manage the first couple minutes after the break. O’Leary made a nice pass to Sullivan for two, Sullivan sank a pair at the line, and then O’Leary found O’Neill for a three that gave Franklin a 39-27 lead just two minutes into the third.

The Panthers only managed five more made baskets and 14 total points over the remaining 14 minutes of the game.

Okla snatched an offensive rebound and scored and added two free throws, but Jacques got open again on an inbound play for a layup. Okla cut through the Franklin defense for two and Steele made a pair at the line, but again Franklin had a response, as O’Leary hit Samuels for a layup that made it 44-37.

Jenkins grabbed an offensive rebound and fed Steele for a basket and then got one of his three steals and raced ahead for a basket to cut the lead to three heading to the fourth. The North fans sensed that their team was taking control of the game, as Franklin was starting to second guess itself on offense.

“Unfortunately, when we did beat the pressure, we were jut pulling it back out and letting them reset the defense,” Neely explained. “We talked about it in the timeouts, when you beat the pressure, it’s 3-on-2, you’ve got to punish it.”

North piled on the pressure in the fourth, with Jenkins leading the way. He scored 12 points in the frame, banking in a runner to tie the game at 45 apiece and converting at the rim after an Okla steal. He went 4-of-4 at the line in the quarter, pushing the North lead to 54-46.

Franklin had only managed a pair of free throws in the quarter, but with 2:12 to go Sullivan got loose on an inbound play and Herndon found him in the corner for a huge three that made it 54-49. Thirty seconds later, O’Leary managed to free himself on the baseline and scored through contact.

Jenkins made another huge play at the other end, somehow getting between a couple of Panthers and tipping in a miss with 57 seconds on the clock, putting the Polar Bears up five. He added another bucket in the final minute to seal the win, another title, and Franklin’s only loss to in-state opposition this season.

“I think we all saw that we didn’t handle their pressure very well,” Neely concluded. “We didn’t respond the way we have all season. I thought we responded really well to it in the first half, we got a lot of great looks, they amped it up a bit more, they trapped a little bit, they got in that zone press in the second half. They made it really difficult.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.