2nd-seeded Franklin Regional boys end playoff win drought with victory over Mars

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Monday, February 19, 2024 | 10:39 PM

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Senior Colin Masten signed a couple of autographs for some wide-eyed kids.

Seniors Cooper Rankin and Cam Rowell talked with some college coaches who are recruiting them.

Their teammates and coaches ate chocolate-chip cookies as they mingled with the crowd.

These are fun times for the Franklin Regional boys, who remembered what it was like to win in the WPIAL basketball playoffs again with a 67-50 victory over Mars on Monday night in Murrysville.

The Class 5A first-round win is the first for the second-seeded Panthers (21-2) since 2018-19, and the first for the current coaching staff, led by head coach Jesse Reed.

No. 15 Mars ends the season at 10-13.

Franklin Regional, which has the most wins in the program since 1997, will get a rubber match with No. 7 Gateway (17-6), a 70-59 winner over No. 10 Penn Hills (14-8).

Franklin Regional and Gateway, who split in section play, will meet Thursday at a time and site to be determined.

“Our guys were excited to play,” Reed said. “This was the first playoff experience for a lot of them. We settled in and got back to doing the things that got us here.”

Masten finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds, Rankin added 19 points and Rowell had 18 points and nine rebounds for the Panthers, who pulled away in the second half.

Masten scored nine in the third and 13 over the final two quarters.

Rankin had 13 after halftime, including eight in the fourth.

“We game-planned and worked hard all week,” Masten said. “We did a pretty good job on (Ryan Ceh), forcing him to go left. We wanted to get out in transition, and we were able to do that.

“It feels good to beat Mars. It’s been awhile since we did that.”

Franklin Regional took a 14-11 lead after the first quarter and led 30-21 at the half after the Fightin Planets, who never led, cut the lead to 23-21 on a 3-pointer by Ceh.

Franklin Regional went up by double figures in the third, with Rankin scoring on a nifty move to the rim for a 37-23 lead.

Like most of their wins, the Panthers were at their best when they attacked the basket. They only made two 3-pointers and struggled from the foul line, making only 8 of 18 free throws.

Senior Fin Hutchison and Masten hit 3s to stretch it to 43-27 before a 7-0 run by Mars made it 43-34 late in the third.

Franklin Regional, though, scored six straight to take a 49-36 lead to the fourth when they added to their advantage.

“We had a chance there in the third,” Mars coach Rob Carmody said. “We could have had an alley-oop to Ryan (Ceh), but instead, they come up with it and score.”

Hutchison found Rowell for a layup.

Rankin and Masten scored to open the fourth, and Rankin finished a break off a steal, before Rowell made a fast-break hoop for a 61-41 lead with 3 minutes, 22 seconds to go in the fourth.

“We missed shots and had so many unfortunate turnovers,” Carmody said. “We tried to keep them from getting out in transition, but we didn’t do that. They have five guys who can go. Rankin controlled the game for them. He made sure everyone got theirs.”

Junior forward Drew Devola made it a 22-point game with a late basket.

“We had a lot of guys step up,” Reed said.

A 6-foot-6 senior, Ceh finished with 26 points, hitting four 3-pointers, and quietly reached 1,000 for his career.

The milestone was recognized after the final buzzer.

Ceh is the eighth player to score 1,000 at Mars since 2017. He did not play as a freshman during the covid season.

He waited his turn behind several good players.

“The last two years, he blossomed,” Carmody said. “He’s one of the most unique guys we’ve had here.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Mars