Attleboro girls' basketball beaten by Franklin

Prior to Tuesday night's game, the Attleboro High girls' basketball team honored their two senior captains Emily Mayer and Savannah Boyle with flowers and hugs.

For the better part of the first half it seemed as though they might give them an even better present- a win over the unbeaten Franklin Panthers.

Unfortunately, Attleboro just couldn't knock down enough shots to overcome the Panthers talented squad and they fell, 46-29. The victory clinched the conference title for Franklin.

Attleboro showed off a variety of defensive looks to confuse the Panther offense and Franklin did not get the lead until Sarah Shaw's three made it 11-9 with a little over a minute left in the first quarter.

The Lady Bombardiers continued to battle in the second quarter but only managed four points and one made field goal. Attleboro shot poorly for most of the game, including a 3-10 first half at the free throw line, otherwise this might have been a much closer game at the break.

"From the first time, we played Franklin (a 58-21 loss) to now we are greatly improved," said Attleboro head coach Missy Traversi. "I think our ability to switch things up on the fly really created trouble for Franklin. The girls have come such a long way."

After finishing the first half on a 10-2 run the Panthers extended the lead to 18 with two quick and long three-pointers by senior guard Catie Phelan. The lead was extended further by junior Alicia Kutil's two drives to the basket. Phelan led all scorers with 15 points, while Kutil finished with 13 and nine rebounds.

Franklin coach John Leighton was proud of his team's adjustment at the start of the third quarter. "We calmed down against the press and started to execute better," he said. "We talked at halftime about getting a bit more aggressive and driving to the basket."

Attleboro dominated the glass from start to finish, outrebounding Franklin, 38-26, on the night. Sophomore Brianna LaPlume led the way with 11 points (eight in the second half) and 11 boards, while Boyle finished with four points and 10 rebounds. Kirsten Terrien and Beth Clifton each added four points.

"That was our main goal coming into the game," said Traversi. "I said, "we're going to win the rebounding war" and they did it. That's huge! Our problem is just putting the ball in the basket."

Thanks to the Hockomock Crossover game, to be played next Thursday against a yet to be determined opponent, Boyle and Mayer will have one more chance for the home fans to cheer them on, but this was a solid effort by the team to honor their contributions over the past four years.

Attleboro's (3-15) next game is another tough match-up as they travel on Friday to take on the Mansfield Hornets. The Franklin Panthers (15-0), who clinched the Kelly-Rex Division title that Mansfield won last season, also play Friday at North Attleboro.