Grizzlies falter in HCAC title game

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By Dan Schumerth, March 1, 2009

“We battled,” head coach Kerry Prather said after the game. “That’s what I told the kids afterwards. You know, you set really high goals that I think maybe we over overachieved over the course of the season. But once you’ve got the bar set there, I’m so impressed by kids, who stare down a lot of obstacles, a lot of adversity and don’t mind the fact that this is hard.”

 

The game was a tale of two halves and the Grizzlies owned the first one.

 

Franklin jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a three-pointer from senior John Yochum and would not trail in the half. The lead was eight – about what it would stay for the majority of the half – after senior Dustin Marshall pulled up from three on a fast break and knocked it down to go up 10-2. They led by as many as 14 at 35-21 and kept the lead around eight for the majority of the half.

 

A few times in the half it looked as if the Pioneers would put together a run, but each attempt was quickly spoiled by the Grizzlies. And the Grizzlies did it as a team. No Grizzly scored in double digits in the half, but one had nine, two had eight, and two had five. 

 

The Grizzlies shot 62.5 percent from the floor to Transy’s 42.9 percent.

 

Franklin took a 39-33 lead into the break after a 5-0 run by the Pioneers, including junior Matthew Patron’s buzzer-beating three-pointer from the corner with a hand in his face.

The second half, though, was more of a fight.

 

“We gave a little defensively,” said Prather. “We had come out of the gate so strong. There are things that [Transylvania does] very well, just like there are certain things we do very well. We negated more of those in the first half than we were able to do in the second. That just put us in a bind.”

 

Transy built on its run to end the first half with a 4-0 run to start the second – with a Franklin turnover in the middle – to cut the Franklin lead to two. Baskets by senior Marshall (who would lead the team with 18 points on the night) and freshman Clayton Starrett (would score nine) stopped Franklin’s dry spell and provided some breathing room.

 

It would not last, though. The lead was cut back to three with another Patron three-pointer at 45-42. Patron would finish the game with 13 points. Transy would take its first lead of the game at 13:15 in the half on a drive and layup by freshman Chris Owens.

 

And so it went, back and forth, for the remainder of the game with neither team managing a commanding lead. From that point their were two lead changes, three ties and neither team led by more than five (a lead that was only achieved due to free throws in the closing seconds of the game).

 

An acrobatic rebound and put back from Grizzly freshman Will Conoley – finished with 14 to go with his seven rebounds – followed by a Marshall three-pointer tied the game at 53, which sparked 7-0 run and 4-point lead, but Transy would answer. A hook shot and a pair of free throws by junior Blake McCowan – who would score 16 points to go with his eight rebounds and be named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player – tied the game once more at 57.

 

The Pioneers made another run, only to be caught once more by Franklin at 64 a piece with just over five minutes to play.

 

The Grizzlies would take their final lead at 70-69 on a basket by Yochum (who would score 15 in the game), which was set up by a deflection and steal by Jeff Gasser and Marshall respectively, with 3:21 remaining. The 6-0 Pioneer run – including a thee-pointer by Patron (his third of the game) and three free throws – that followed proved too much for Franklin to overcome.

 

Marshall knocked down two free throws of his own but his desperation step-back three-point attempt a few feet beyond the arch fell just short as it clanged against the iron. Transylvania junior Tim Tierney, who tallied 9 points and 10 rebounds total, hit a free throw to make the final 76-72.

 

Senior Aaron Cash led the Pioneer attack with 20 points.  

 

Both Marshall and Conoley were named to the all-tournament team.

 

For seniors Jared Catron, Jace Redman, Marshall and Yochum, the game was the last they will play as Grizzlies. Their careers include a two regular season HCAC Titles (one shared) and a HCAC Tournament Championship. Prather had the following to say about the four players.

 

 “They were the glue that held this all together," Prather said. "They walked in here four years ago and won 20 games. As sophomores won a regular season championship. And I told them, you know, this is why our program has succeeded all these years … it doesn’t matter the hand your dealt, it doesn’t matter how hard it is, this is what Franklin team’s do. And that’s a tremendous legacy for them.”