With an imaginary point spread hovering around -20 for the Bulldogs against one of the top public basketball teams in the state the Tuesday night home game was not exactly the hottest ticket.
But then something strange happened…
Through tenacious defense and although its cliche to say “will to win” the bulldogs took a 7-4 lead going into the second quarter. And despite a few more shots falling for Franklin the Dog’s went into halftime with only a 9 point deficit.
To most watching or following the game it seemed as though the tide might finally be turning into the perceived “superior team” Franklin.
But now the Bulldogs knew they could play with the powerhouse and their mindset showed on the court.
The lead slowly but surely started to get chipped away, and by the end of the third quarter the once looming double digit Franklin runaway was changed into a 4 point ballgame at 30-26.
In the fourth it became clear who truly wanted it more. Through hitting the glass hard on defense and manufacturing easy buckets on the other end the Bulldogs were able to tie the game at 36 and ultimately through clutch free throws by (Sr.) Danny Hartnett, (Soph.) Devin Foster, and (Jr.) Austin Maffie the game was sealed. Putting a bow on the 46-42 upset.
The game was a long time coming for the Bulldogs whose freshman team just two years ago suffered a 95 point blowout at the hand of the Panthers. In addition the Varsity team had not beaten them in over a decade.Preview attachment IMG_6300.PNG
