CENTENNIAL vs. FRANKLIN

[CHS 2007]

A big district matchup of what many consider the top 2 teams in 11-AAA. Franklin (18-4, 7-0) puts their District winning streak on the line against crosstown rivals Centennial (17-3, 5-2). Franklin is coming off a close win over Hillsboro, while Centennial avenged an earlier loss with a win versus Brentwood.

 

Drew Kelly will play in this one. He scored 10 points in cleanup duty for the Cougars on Tuesday.

 

Who wins the Battle of Franklin?

[Metro "Ballin"]

Judging by recent scores, you would have to say that Centennial is playing better ball as of late. I saw Franklin play tonight and it seemd if though they were going through the motions. Was Phillyfan in the house? This McLemore kid seems to be playing well and we all know Kelly is very good. I'd say the Cougars stop the streak and the talk that Franklin is the team to beat. Centennial comes away from this one with the "W". Kudos to Kegarise who came off the bench and had 22, why didn'tt he start? D.Miller did have 31, not bad against a good Rebel team.

[basketballfan123]

come on metro. dont judge by the scores. i still think franklin will come out and win friday but i know it won't be an easy one. this should be a very interesting game

[wysiwyg]

this game will be a dog fight from tip off to the final buzzer. i expect each team to swap the lead several times.

Franklin is very deep in talent and can continuously rotate fresh legs the later the game gets. we all know their best in 11-AAA, and even if they do lose, they still will be the best team in 11-AAA there's no doubt about that. however i think if this Centennial team can play lights out basketball for the 32 minutes, they will win this game. they have talent and skill level to beat this Franklin and i think they've come along these last few games with Drew out of the line-up. if Drew is able to play and Allante and Preston and Ty can keep doing what they've been doing, and add Drew into the mix, then there's one heck of team.

and again, for the like 4th straight week i will not be there, this time im out of town. i really do hate work!

[CHS 2007]

Didn't Kegarise get hurt in the last game? I'm asking because that may be the reason he didn't start.

[BigPoppa]

Kegarise was injured last Tuesday night, banged his knee against the floor in a fall....

 

McLemore has been playing really well for Centennial since Christmas break, so that may take away a few shots from Kelly but Centennial appears to be playing much better.

 

Franklin wins by 12

[PhillyFan]

Judging by recent scores, you would have to say that Centennial is playing better ball as of late. I saw Franklin play tonight and it seemd if though they were going through the motions. Was Phillyfan in the house? This McLemore kid seems to be playing well and we all know Kelly is very good. I'd say the Cougars stop the streak and the talk that Franklin is the team to beat. Centennial comes away from this one with the "W". Kudos to Kegarise who came off the bench and had 22, why didn'tt he start? D.Miller did have 31, not bad against a good Rebel team.

 

Nice having you back on Metro. Of course I was there last night, don't miss any Rebels games. I can understand what you are saying about the scores, but you really can't judge what may happen by scores, or we can look at how Centennial only beat Smyrna by 8. They may be the worst AAA team in the state (4-13). So scores sometimes lie. I believe the Rebels will win by 13. This team will keep on throwing kids out there and Centennial can't do that. The Cougars have some very good players, but I think depth will prvail. I am really happy for McLemore, it was good Kelly has been out because it showed that McLemore is as important to this team and anybody else. Yes, Kegarise had a banged up knee, but is now full strength and shooting like out.

[CHS 2007]

Everyone talks about McLemore stepping up, but another guy that really stepped up is Ty Jones. Here's a guy that was scoring 6 a game. During the games Kelly was out, 15 a game. Not to mention the great defensive spark he provided during that span.

 

The Kelly-less era showed us a few things.

 

1. We are not a "one-man team", as we went undefeated without that one man.

 

2. We can trust the outside game. With Drew, we always looked for the inside shot. Over this span, Allante and Ty have both been sharp from the point. This will create a more balanced gameplan and keep the defense guessing.

 

3. We have depth. Against Smyrna, 5 Cougars scored in double figures. Some of whom would have gotten little chance to play without injuries. Guys like Justin Brown, Chylar Means, and Justin Brown are getting more chances to play and all have performed.

 

Overall, this can be described as a learning experience for the Cougars, and overall I think they are better for it.

[Metro "Ballin"]

Everyone talks about McLemore stepping up, but another guy that really stepped up is Ty Jones. Here's a guy that was scoring 6 a game. During the games Kelly was out, 15 a game. Not to mention the great defensive spark he provided during that span.

 

The Kelly-less era showed us a few things.

 

1. We are not a "one-man team", as we went undefeated without that one man.

 

2. We can trust the outside game. With Drew, we always looked for the inside shot. Over this span, Allante and Ty have both been sharp from the point. This will create a more balanced gameplan and keep the defense guessing.

 

3. We have depth. Against Smyrna, 5 Cougars scored in double figures. Some of whom would have gotten little chance to play without injuries. Guys like Justin Brown, Chylar Means, and Justin Brown are getting more chances to play and all have performed.

 

Overall, this can be described as a learning experience for the Cougars, and overall I think they are better for it.

When did you get your "doctorite" degree in sports? Thanks Dr. Phil

[FranklinHSfan]

Nice having you back on Metro. Of course I was there last night, don't miss any Rebels games. I can understand what you are saying about the scores, but you really can't judge what may happen by scores, or we can look at how Centennial only beat Smyrna by 8. They may be the worst AAA team in the state (4-13). So scores sometimes lie. I believe the Rebels will win by 13. This team will keep on throwing kids out there and Centennial can't do that. The Cougars have some very good players, but I think depth will prvail. I am really happy for McLemore, it was good Kelly has been out because it showed that McLemore is as important to this team and anybody else. Yes, Kegarise had a banged up knee, but is now full strength and shooting like out.

 

 

 

I agree Philly, Franklin's depth should assure them of the victory. But if FHS lets CHS keep hanging close, like they did Brentwood & The Burros, I think that could spell trouble. We may find ourselves in a 4th quarter see-saw battle & realize that we miss the kind of Senior Leadership that we've enjoyed for the last 2-3 years. Hopefully, FHS will pull out to an early double digit lead and then maintain it with their depth!

 

GO REBELS!!! /thumb[1].gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":thumb:" border="0" alt="thumb[1].gif" />

[HSDAD]

You can not predict the outcome of any game based on the

outcomes of other games. FHS team is deep

and the boys have desire. I am sure their coach has a plan

for the entire season.

 

I vote for depth, determination, and coaching.

[titansfan06]

My prediction is that the streak will continue, BUT I do think that Centennial poses the biggest district threat for Franklin this year. The key for Centennial will be guard play, as I think they have the (slight) advantage over Franklin inside...should be a good one!! /popcorneater.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":popcorneater:" border="0" alt="popcorneater.gif" />