Franklin-Simpson and No. 1 ranked Bowling Green squared off in what would be a very intriguing high school basketball game on Monday night at Franklin-Simpson High School.
The Wildcats, who returned home following a 48-42 win at Barren County on Saturday, welcomed in an extremely hot Purples club that lastly recorded a home victory over Warren East on Friday, rolling 88-66.
Thanks to a stellar performance from Terry Taylor, who scored 21 points and grabbed 8 rebounds, the Purples (18-2) used a big fourth quarter to avoid an upset on the road at Franklin-Simpson (14-5), escaping with a 62-59 victory in front of a packed crowd at the high school in Simpson County.
Along with Taylor’s big outing, Deangelo Wilson dropped 19 points and pulled down three rebounds while Zion Harmon added a production of 11 points. In its loss, Tavin Lovan carried the load for the Wildcats with a game-high 31 points and 14 rebounds on the night.
The Wildcats return to action on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. on the road at Todd County Central while the Purples have a quick turnaround and host Muhlenberg County on Tuesday evening, with tipoff set for 7:30 p.m.
From the time the ball was thrown up for the opening tipoff and for most of the match, both teams went back and forth.
Bowling Green came out of the gates firing all cylinders, as it opened with a 9-0 run that lasted until the 4:10 mark of the first quarter. Franklin-Simpson responded with a 6-0 run of its own and cut its deficit to just three with a little over a minute remaining in the opening period. The two teams would trade baskets throughout that minute, with the Purples holding a 16-12 lead after one.
The Wildcats came out hot in the ensuing quarter, and just like BG, went on a quick 9-0 run. Franklin went on to outscore the visiting Purples 14-4 in the eight-minute span and held a six-point lead at halftime, with the scoreboard reading 26-20.
At intermission, Lovan led all scorers with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting and three rebounds while Kyran Jones had tallied 6 points and a trio of boards for Bowling Green. The Wildcats shot 11-of-22 from the field while the Purples went 8-of-21.
Leading by four, Franklin-Simpson continued to execute in the third quarter and build a ten-point lead of 31-21 with 5:47 remaining in the period. Bowling Green wasn’t going away, though, as Harmon hit a three, was fouled and hit the free-throw and Wilson went on a 4-0 run of his own to make it a single-digit affair.
Soon after, Lovan scored four-straight and pushed the Wildcats’ lead to 11 at 40-29 with at the 2:37 mark of the quarter. After three full periods, the Purples’ ten-game win-streak was in jeopardy, as they trailed 47-33 entering the fourth.
At the 5:57 mark of the final quarter, the Wildcats held a 51-38 advantage. Terry Taylor would begin to heat up for BG and scored eight points in a two-minute span, but Lovan continued to score at ease and helped Franklin hold an eleven-point lead at 53-42 with 4:33 left to tick.
The Purples’ deficit was cut back to nine after a Wilson layup to make it 55-46 with 2:45 remaining. Taylor followed it with a basket and then a pair of free-throws and, suddenly, it was a five-point game. The 8-0 run made it 55-50.
The two sides would fight until the very end, but by outscoring Franklin-Simpson 29-12 throughout the fourth period, Bowling Green avoided an upset on the road in a hostile environment.
–Follow Sporting Times High School Insider Tyler Mansfield on Twitter @RealTMansfield—
