Lady Broncos romp in regional opener

Published 12:00 am Monday, March 3, 2008

FRANKLIN-Franklin High School had four players score in double figures and overcame a sluggish first quarter to drub Rappahannock High School 79-38 in the semifinals of the Group A, Division 1 regional playoffs Tuesday night.

The Lady Broncos (20-1) will now face either West Point or Charles City at West Point High School at 6 p.m. on Thursday in the regional final.

The Broncos led 16-12 after the first quarter, but broke the game wide open in the second quarter, outscoring the Lady Raiders 21-7. Franklin went into its full court press and Rappahannock had no answer. Meanwhile, Franklin took advantage of fast breaks and crisp passes from point guard Timia Hobbs to begin the route.

&uot;That’s what she does,&uot; said Mona Sumblin, Franklin head coach. &uot;She actually passes more than I really want her to.&uot;

Meanwhile, Rappahannock’s top scorer, Jasmine Dilworth, was in foul trouble early in the game.

Franklin really ramped the game up in the third quarter, outscoring Rappahannock 26-6 in the period. Almost every bucket was on the inside or a short jumper. Franklin went on a 10-point run at the beginning of the third period to leave no question who was boss.

The Lady Broncos used a balanced scoring attack with nine out of 10 players scoring at least one point. Kiara Lee scored 15, Janice Holeman scored 14, Hobbs scored 10, and Eboney Joyner added 10 points for Franklin.

Although it was an easy win for Franklin, Sumblin was not happy with the way the team played in the first quarter.

&uot;We didn’t play up to par and we were lucky they were not a strong team,&uot; she said. &uot;I told them if we get a strong team, we can’t play like that. We have to be rolling from the start.&uot;

The regional final looks good for Franklin. Charles City beat West Point twice during the regular season and Franklin beat Charles City twice during district play.