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New Franklin defeats Fayette for second time in four days

Justin Addison, Editor/Publisher
Posted 12/8/22

For the second time in four days, the New Franklin boys defeated Fayette by double digits, this time by the score of 79-49 for the Falcons’ home opener on Tuesday, December 6. Four days prior, …

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New Franklin defeats Fayette for second time in four days

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For the second time in four days, the New Franklin boys defeated Fayette by double digits, this time by the score of 79-49 for the Falcons’ home opener on Tuesday, December 6. Four days prior, the two teams squared off in the third-place game of the Glasgow Tournament, with the Bulldogs finishing ahead, 84-32.

The win for New Franklin marks the fifth in six games played so far this season. Fayette drops its third straight game, bringing its record to 1-3.

“It’s hard to lose three games in a row,” said Fayette coach Jon Bishop. “We have played some very good teams in those losses. I see our guys fighting to get better.”

The Falcons opened the season with a 57-55 upset over Slater in the opening round of the Glasgow Tournament. Since then, Fayette has faced two of the area’s top teams in three games, with bouts against Cairo and New Franklin.

Bishop said his team showed a lot of fight in the home opener, and overall he believes in where his team is heading. “I'm not happy with the score, and I'm not happy with some of the things that went on. But I know where we're going, and I know the heart of these guys. And I know we're going to be OK. It's still the first part of December. It's the fourth game of the season. Panicking right now would be stupid.” 

The Falcons were without returning starter Ben Wells for the three games of the season. Then senior suffered an injury to his wrist as Fayette’s starting quarterback near the end of football season. He made his return Tuesday, scoring five points while pulling down two rebounds and dishing out three assists.

“It was great having Ben back,” Bishop said.

New Franklin started off its season with three straight wins, including an overtime thriller over area powerhouse Salisbury, before falling in overtime to Westran during the Glasgow Tournament. Since then, the Bulldogs have improved to 5-1 with two straight victories over Fayette.

New Franklin shot out of the gate with nine straight points to open Tuesday’s contest in Fayette, starting with an opening 3-pointer off the glass by junior Connor Wilmsmeyer. Fayette failed to score for the first 5:50 of the game, finally getting on the board with a bucket in the paint by senior Malakai Graves. The Falcons added two more points on free throws by freshman Payton Oeth but trailed 15-4 after one quarter.

New Franklin opened with a quick start in the second quarter with a seven-point run, sparked by a 3-pointer by junior Tanner Bishop just 27 seconds in. Fayette settled in and found a rhythm to score 16 second-quarter points, which included 3-point shots from Wells and junior Tristan Swanson. 

But each time Fayette would score, New Franklin had an answer, including from beyond the arc. Senior Clayton Wimsmeyer and Bishop each scored from long distance. But it was New Franklin’s tenacious defensive pressure that resulted in basket after basket. The Bulldogs added 22 points to their tally in the second period to lead 37-20 at halftime.

Despite the deficit, the Falcons were able to close the gap in the third quarter, coming within 10 points. Trailing by 14 with five minutes on the clock. Senior Chase Allen-Jackman kicked off an 8-2 Fayette run with a layup and bonus free throw. Swanson added a jump shot and pair of free throws, and Jackman added another bucket cut the score to 45-35 with 4:26 left to play in the third.

But New Franklin quickly responded with 10 straight points to stop the rally in its tracks.

“We had to battle a lot of adversity in the second half,” said Bishop. “And even though we cut New Franklin's lead to 10, we made too many mistakes later in the quarter to catch up.”

The Bulldogs jumped back to a double-digit lead, 67-41, after three quarters on the way to the 30-point victory.

“Fayette came out and moved the ball really well in the full court, and we were just reacting to what they were doing instead of anticipating,” said Schlotzhauer. “They were the more aggressive team with their movement and dribbling. We struggled to communicate through that and just made it look a lot harder than it needs to be.

“In the second half, we did a lot better job of playing like we can.”

Jackman paced Fayette once again with 14 points and seven rebounds, followed by Oeth with 11 points, six rebounds, and three blocks off the bench. Swanson tallied 10 points with a pair of steals and two boards.

For New Franklin, the Wilmsmeyers combined for 26 points, with a game-high 15 for Clayton and 11 for Connor. Senior Owen Armentrout and Drake Clark each finished with 12.

The Falcons return to their home floor on Friday in a battle against Class 3 Brookfield (0-3) for Fayette’s annual Courtwarming game. From there, the Falcons face stiff competition against dominant area teams Cairo and Harrisburg in back-to-back games on Monday and Tuesday. Fayette closes out the 2022 portion of the season at Scotland County on December 19.

New Franklin travels to face Madison (0-1) Friday night before hosting Slater at home on Tuesday. The Bulldogs finish out 2022 on the road at Tuscumbia on December 15 and Stover on December 19.

Both teams open the new year at the New Franklin Tournament in the first week of January.

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