Bulldog hoopsters upset powerhouse Franklin

A very tough, defensive-minded CHS boys basketball team put the clamps down on an explosive Franklin offense in a thrilling Hockomock League showdown Friday night, coming back from eight points down in the fourth quarter to pull out a 52-50 upset win over the highly rated Panthers.

Senior captain Devin Foster (Mike Barucci photo)

The victory improved the Bulldogs’ record to 2-1 on the season while dropping Franklin to an identical 2-1 mark.

Prior to Friday night’s battle, the Panthers had not been tested, winning their first two games by a combined margin of 58 points. A perennial D1 powerhouse, the team is coming off back-to-back trips to the state finals and were rated No. 1 overall in many preseason polls.

The Bulldogs, however, were unfazed and did “all the little things” needed to beat a team of this caliber, according to head coach Ryan Gordy.

In a sequence reminiscent of the legendary “steal by Bird” in the 1987 NBA Eastern Conference Finals, senior captain Ryan Lentol stole an inbounds pass, kept the ball inbounds and found fellow senior Paul Corcoran for a baseline layup to put the Bulldogs ahead by one. Canton then forced another turnover and senior captain Devin Foster converted a free throw to secure the two-point win.

Foster had a game-high 20 points while junior captain Kyle Fitzgerald finished with 11. Lentol scored nine points and came up huge in the fourth quarter with tough defense, a tip-in, and some key rebounds. Corcoran scored 10 and played outstanding defense on all-star forward Jalen Samuels, limiting him to 13 points.

Entering the fourth quarter Gordy said he told his players to focus on defense. “You have to get a stop and you don’t want two consecutive successful scoring possessions,” he said. “We also made seven of eight free throws, which was very important.”

“This team loves to compete and this means you go up against their best and do your best,” Gordy added. “You enjoy it and you are not scared of the opponent or the moment.”

The Bulldogs now have two weeks to prepare for a formidable Stoughton team (4-1), who come to town on Friday, January 4, with tip-off scheduled at 6:30 p.m.

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Posted by Mike Berger on Dec 28 2018. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.