The Franklin County Rebels looked nothing like the team that poured in 76 points the night before — at least not early.
After leaving school around 2:30 Tuesday afternoon and waiting nearly five hours to tip off, Franklin County came out flat and sluggish against Lawrence County Wildcats, managing just four points in the opening quarter. The Wildcats capitalized early, jumping out to an 11–4 lead after one and stretching the advantage to 26–15 by halftime.
Lawrence County continued to press in the third quarter, opening the half on an 11–2 run to push the lead to 20. At that point, it looked like the Rebels might be headed for another long night against a team that had already given them trouble earlier this season.
Instead, Franklin County found its spark.
Austin Heath provided the first jolt, knocking down the Rebels’ first three-pointer of the night early in the second quarter. As shots continued to be hard to come by for Memphis Foster and Brody Goff through much of the first three quarters, Franklin County leaned into a lineup that changed the feel of the game: Jayden Cisco, Monte Johnson, Heath, Brandon Walker, and Goff.
That group brought energy, ball movement, and defensive pressure — and slowly chipped away at the deficit.
After trailing 41–32 entering the fourth quarter, Franklin County stayed composed. Once the Rebels tied the game at 49, Heath delivered the moment that flipped everything. He buried a three-pointer from the corner off an inbound pass to give Franklin County its first lead of the night, rattling the Wildcats. On the very next possession, Lawrence County turned it over, and Heath scooped up the loose ball and fed Goff, who finished the layup off the glass.
Just like that, the Rebels were up five with under a minute to play.
Franklin County outscored Lawrence County 41–28 in the second half and closed the game with a 12–0 run midway through the fourth quarter to seize control. Monte Johnson sealed the win at the free-throw line in the final seconds, helping the Rebels escape with a 56–54 victory.
Brandon Walker led Franklin County with 14 points, followed by Johnson with 13 and Goff with 12. Heath added 10 points off the bench, while Foster and Cisco scored three each and Grant Parkerson added one.
The win was especially important considering Lawrence County had defeated Franklin County 68–60 back on January 16. It also marked Franklin County’s third straight victory following a blowout loss to Tullahoma, a stretch in which head coach Herb Horton’s team has responded with renewed focus and toughness.
With the win, the Rebels improved to 9–14 overall and 2–3 in district play, sitting third in the standings. Franklin County will now turn its attention to a Friday night home matchup against Giles County Bobcats, a team that defeated the Rebels 66–55 earlier this season. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
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