CASEY GEORG Special to the Press
FRANKLIN — Breeley Lively and Aubrie Hawkins combined for 28 points Friday night, and led the Franklin Lady Lions (1-0) to a 51-35 win over the Thrall Tigerettes (0-1) in both teams’ season opener.
“I’ve got a group of kids who want to play,” said Thrall Coach Katina Walker. “We were able to talk to each other to make adjustments, which is a major improvement over last year.”
The game was close through much of the first three quarters. The Tigerettes trailed 9-6 at the end of the first quarter. Ashlyn Jarosek, who led all scorers with 18 points before fouling out, hit a three-point jumper in the opening period for the Tigerettes.
It was also Jarosek who hit a pair of free throws with 2:53 remaining in the second quarter that tied the score at 14. Franklin would eventually take a 24-19 lead at the half, but the Tigerettes kept hanging tough against a, physical group from Franklin.
Thrall kept it close in the third quarter. The Tigerettes put up eight points in the period, including a three-pointer from Cynthia Walker, but Franklin pushed their advantage to 36-27 entering the final quarter.
With Jarosek out of the game, the Lady Lions had a slightly easier time of it in the fourth quarter. Breeley and Emma Rekieta each hit shots from behind the arch for the Lady Lions, and Franklin outscored the Tigerettes 15-8 over the final eight minutes to pick up the win.
In addition to Jarosek’s 18 points, the Tigerettes also secured 11 points from Walker. Thrall struggled from the field, hitting just 20 %, but the Tigerettes committed just 14 turnovers on the night and held a slight advantage over the Lady Lions in points off turnovers.
“Scoring was shared amongst the team, and that is another big plus for us,” Walker said. “One of the most important things I saw, was us attacking the basket, and not settling for the threepoint shot.” Thrall was back in action Tuesday night when they traveled to Smithville. They will play their home opener on Friday against Reisel.
