Franklin County's Jacob Sanchez prepares to shoot a free throw with 2.9 seconds left in a game Thursday at Marshall County High School. Sanchez hit both of his attempts during this trip to the free-throw line to provide the final edge in the 60-59 win.
Franklin County's Jacob Sanchez prepares to shoot a free throw with 2.9 seconds left in a game Thursday at Marshall County High School. Sanchez hit both of his attempts during this trip to the free-throw line to provide the final edge in the 60-59 win.
Franklin County's Kai Baker dribbles across the court during a game Thursday at Marshall County High School. Baker scored 20 points in the 60-59 win.
The Franklin County Rebels beat the Marshall County Tigers 60-59 on the road Thursday for their 11th win of the season.
There were six ties and four lead changes in the fourth quarter of the back-and-forth contest with a pair of free throws from Jacob Sanchez in the last three seconds lifting the Rebels to their fifth district win in six games.
The Rebels took a 12-4 lead to start the game as their advantage remained steady throughout the rest of the opening period.
They led 15-8 after one quarter.
The teams traded the lead six times in the second quarter with a Marshall County layup in the closing seconds of the period tying the score at 30-30 going into the halftime break.
The Tigers scored the first nine points of the second half and led by as many as 13 points in the third quarter.
However, the Rebels got back on track by scoring the last 11 points of the third quarter as they trailed 45-43 going into the final period.
The momentum shifted back and forth between the two teams throughout the fourth quarter with a basket from the Tigers giving them a 58-56 advantage with about 50 seconds left.
The Rebels put up multiple shots on their next possession with Kai Baker ultimately drawing a foul and hitting both of his ensuing free throws to tie the score at 58-58 with 16.6 seconds left.
The Tigers drew a shooting foul with five seconds to go, and their shooter hit his first free throw to put Marshall County back in front by a score of 59-58. However, the second attempt missed with the ball being rebounded by Sanchez, who was then promptly fouled by a Marshall County player.
Sanchez stepped up to the free-throw line with 2.9 seconds left and nailed both of his attempts to flip the scoreboard in Franklin County’s favor one more time.
The Tigers were able to put up a long 3-pointer at the buzzer, but the shot bounced harmlessly off the rim to give the Rebels the victory by one. Baker scored 10 of Franklin County’s 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Baker led the Rebels with 20 points for the game, followed by Kenyon Fuqua and Brandon Walker with 13 points each.
Jackson Worley scored five points, Sanchez scored four, Thomas Clark scored three and Ethan Farris scored two.
With the win, the Rebels improved to 11-15 on the season and 5-5 in district play.
They will next play Tuesday at home against Tullahoma High School in a quarterfinal game for the District 8AAA tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
