Franklin Regional boys grind through overtime victory against Hempfield

By: HSSN Staff
Saturday, December 9, 2017 | 9:18 PM

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Nate Leopold thought he was done with football season.

The Franklin Regional senior, barely back to basketball form, helped guide the Panthers through a physical, grind-it-out finale against the host Spartans in the Hempfield tip-off tournament.

It was a classic dust-up on just the second night of the season, but not totally unexpected.

“This all goes back to when we were younger, seventh and eighth grade, playing against each other,” said Leopold, a key guard who played quarterback, running back, wide receiver and cornerback in football. “We knew it would be physical. It’s kind of a fun rivalry. But we respect each other.”

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Battling a chest-bumping, man-to-man defense by Hempfield, senior forward Stonecheck added 13 points for the Panthers, who trailed 16-5 early and did not take their first lead until late in the third quarter on a basket by Aiden Sadoski.

A matchup of two of the county’s taller teams had tense moments. Elbows flew, bodies thumped off the floor and tempers flared after a couple of tie-up scrums.

Hempfield was called for two technical fouls in overtime, both for players grabbing and holding back opponents, the second an intentional foul.

But neither team seemed to let their anger get the best of them. The football guys kind of enjoyed it.

“Every football player brings that physical nature over to the court in some way, shape or form,” Leopold said. “So I think we were ready for that kind of test.”

After a 9-0 run, Franklin Regional had a 50-43 lead with 2:44 left in regulation. But Hempfield closed the gap to 50-49 on a floater by Marcus McCarthy with 31.1 seconds.

Leopold made a free throw, but Braden Brose, the Spartans’ physical forward, made a power move to the rim and scored to tie it with 23 seconds left.

In a stop-and-start overtime, Leopold opening the scoring with a 3-pointer, and a free-throw fest was interrupted by a jump-shot 3 by Reed Hipps to get Hempfield within 60-58 with 56.5 seconds to play.

Hipps led Hempfield with 20 points. Brose added 13, and Jules Nichols had 10.

Brose’s soft runner gave Hempfield a 61-60 advantage with 42 seconds left, and Mike Bartolacci missed a dunk attempt on the other end. The Panthers, though, managed to get back to the line, and Nick Leopold, Nate’s younger brother, made 2 of 2 to make it 63-60.

Brose fired up a 3 in the waning seconds, but it bounced off the front of the rim and Nate Leopold corralled the rebound.

Chemistry was in place before Scorpion arrived, but the Franklin Regional grad is looking to strengthen it.

“New coach, new system, new voice,” Scorpion said. “I told our guys at halftime, tough teams find ways to win on the road. We found a way to win. It wasn’t pretty all the time, but we got it done. I believe in our guys, and I trust them.”

Hempfield took a 28-23 lead into halftime on the strength of five 3-pointers, three by Hipps.

“I am surprised at our kids’ composure,” Hempfield coach Bill Swan said. “(Friday) we played the No. 5 team (Seneca Valley) in 6A and should have went to overtime, and tonight we played a really good ranked 5A team and went to overtime. Our kids did everything that we could ask of them. They really did their best.

“It’s tough, though. I don’t think we’ve ever been 0-2 in our tournament.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at bbeckner@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BillBeckner.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Hempfield Area