FRANKLIN
Though they had a chance to steal the game in the final minute, Franklin fell to Surry on Wednesday night, 58-57. The Broncos trailed from early in the first quarter until the final buzzer.

“We never quit,” Franklin head coach Robbie Cutchins said. “The bottom line is that we never quit.”

Playing at the Peggy Wilkins Gym, the home team tried to slow down a fast, aggressive opponent. The Cougars opened the first quarter hard and fast with the Broncos in a zone defense, and held a 16-9 lead at the end of the first quarter. Franklin was unable to cut into the lead when switching their defense to man-to-man in the second quarter, and trailed 29-20 at halftime.

After the intermission, the Cougars continued to be aggressive, stealing the ball and forcing turnovers on the Broncos. With just over three minutes left in the third quarter, they pushed their lead to 40-25.

Franklin made a run in the fourth quarter, however, as senior Quayshawn Jefferson made a couple buckets to cut the lead. His brother, Deuntae, also stepped up the pressure on the offense end of the court, connecting on a three-point shot to cut the deficit to five late in the contest.

With only one minute remaining, Franklin’s Khalil Thomas stole the ball for an easy layup at the other end to bring the Broncos within two points. Free throws extended the Surry lead to four, and a three-pointer from the younger Jefferson with .3 seconds remaining capped the scoring.

The Broncos had two players in double figures, as Deuntae Jefferson scored 20 points and senior forward Darrien Ducks added 16. Surry’s Monte Pope led the visitors with 16 points, and Justin Williams pitched in 13.

Franklin next travels to Greensville County on Friday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.