Franklin Regional girls end two-game losing skid with win over Hempfield

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, December 22, 2017 | 4:25 PM

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If not for a missed opportunity here and there, Franklin Regional girls basketball could be unbeaten through seven games, a matter that quickly gained the attention of Panthers coach Courtney Callas.

Following back-to-back, close losses to Penn-Trafford and Armstrong in the past week, Franklin Regional rebounded against Hempfield on Thursday night, smothering the Spartans, 43-28.

“If we would have just had one more possession each time, we could've won both of those games,” she said. “That's been the struggle for our team so far, not taking advantage of every possession.”

But the Panthers were more efficient against Class 6A Hempfield. Isabel Palamone scored 18 points to lead Class 5A Franklin Regional, which stopped its two-game losing streak.

“They were getting after it better tonight, and that's been the stress all week,” Callas said. “We want to play a possession-by-possession game. We want to make the most of our chances to score every time we have the ball.”

Franklin Regional (5-2), after opening the year with four victories, was coming off those two losses by a total of 10 points, including a 40-36 Section 4 decision Monday at Armstrong.

“Every possession matters,” Callas said. “We've got to play with that mindset.”

Allison Podkul scored 13 points for Hempfield (2-4), including the Spartans' first 11. Not until Sarah Golden's basket in the final minute of the second quarter did someone other than Podkul score.

Sarah Liberatore's 3-point shot followed, pulling Hempfield within 22-16 at halftime.

The Spartans inched closer to start the second half and trailed 24-20 when Palamone made a 3 to give Franklin Regional a 27-20 advantage. The Panthers pulled away, holding Hempfield to four points in the third quarter and 12 overall in the second half.

Hempfield started slowly, relying on Podkul's 11 first-half points as its only offense for much of the time.

“We didn't come out with the energy we needed to have to compete,” Hempfield coach Lindsy Muchnock said. “We shot the ball very poorly, and we weren't ready from the get-go.”

A 14-4 scoring advantage in the third quarter gave Franklin Regional a comfortable 36-20 edge heading to the fourth. Eight players scored for the Panthers as Callas used her bench liberally.

Callas placed a bit more emphasis on the victory, telling her girls that beating a school of a higher classification is a big deal to her.

“It just helps with their mindset and their approach to the next game,” she said. “Hempfield is a very big school, and we want to put a lot of stock in that. It definitely carries some weight.”

Dave Mackall is a freelance writer.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Hempfield Area