Against Philly power, Franklin Regional looks to turn Chocolatetown into Upset City

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, March 21, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Don’t expect Franklin Regional to put any extra pressure on itself Friday night in Hershey.

“Nobody expects us to win,” senior guard Fin Hutchison said.

Said Panthers coach Jesse Reed: “We’re a major underdog. There is no pressure on our end. Everyone is expecting us to go lose.”

Fair enough. History would agree: The scale tilts to the right.

Franklin Regional (27-3) is aware of the state championship dominance that exists on the east side of the state. Since the PIAA went to six classifications in 2017, four Class 5A state titles have been won by teams from the east.

Philadelphia Public League power Imhotep Charter (28-3), the team the Panthers will play at 8 p.m. at Giant Center, has won the last two titles and is 9-0 all-time in state finals.

Abington Heights (District 2) was the PIAA winner in 2018, and Archbishop Wood (District 12) won in 2017. The pendulum swung briefly to the west side when Moon (WPIAL) won in 2019 and Cathedal Prep (District 10) won in ‘21.

But District 12-champion Imhotep Charter quickly restored the balance of power with its repeat.

The Panthers have wins over four WPIAL teams in the state finals: North Catholic (2009), Greensburg Central Catholic (‘11), Beaver Falls (‘12) and New Castle (‘22).

The Panthers rely on pressure defense and play a fast-paced style. While that sounds a lot like the team they’re playing, they also bring championship clout.

“My message to our guys is, go play your butts off and let’s see what happens,” Reed said. “I’m sure we’ll have some nerves, but once we get going, it just becomes any other game. They will be the best team we’ve played all year.”

While Franklin Regional is known for it’s get-it-and-go style, Reed thinks the team’s defense will be what keeps it in the game.

That, and maybe using longer possessions to keep the ball out of their hands.

“I would say we need to make them work,” Reed said. “That can be a big key. Our defense is our centerpiece. It has won us a lot of games. Defense travels.

“We don’t want to get away from our transition offense. We have some things to go to that we haven’t run much of. We just don’t want to settle (on one way).”

Imhotep features a pair of Division I commits in 6-2 senior Ahmad Nowell (Connecticut), and 6-7 senior forward Ma’Kye Taylor (Albany).

Franklin Regional has been to the state final one other time, in 1997. It lost to favored Plymouth-Whitemarsh, 50-45.

Imhotep Charter coach Andre Noble said Franklin Regional “has a style” that has caught his attention.

“They play together with good pace,” said Noble, who had led Imhotep for two decades and has 500 wins. “Both teams will try to get into transition, but I am sure both will try to stop transition offense, too.”

Reed made the 2A state final as a player with Greensburg Central Catholic in 2011 and played against Imhotep.

Noble remembers preparing for Reed. Imhotep beat GCC, 67-34.

“He was a great player,” Noble said. “We kept throwing multiple people at him. It’s great to see him coaching and accomplishing so much as both a player and a coach.”

The Franklin Regional Panthers have a chance to “shock the world,” as any self-proclaimed underdog would say.

“We have held teams to 46 points a game,” Reed said. “We have to be able to mix up some man and zone like we’ve done. We can’t be intimidated.”

Franklin Regional’s starters are all seniors whose only sport is basketball. They hope playing dozens of games together over the years helps them be at their best on the state’s largest stage, even if things so awry.

They already have championship experience from playing in the WPIAL title game. They also had the late game on Friday night of finals weekend at Petersen Events Center.

“We’ve always had good trust in each other,” Hutchison said. “We knew we could get here. The Philly teams play a different brand of basketball. It’s fast-paced, and you see teams run a lot of iso. We have to play our style and try to slow them down.

“It’s going to take a balanced and team effort. Everyone gets beat (on a play). The key is to help them out when they do.”

Imhotep knows how to win state titles, and Noble is prepared to disrupt what Franklin Regional does best.

He said the keys to victory are: “Keep them from getting easy baskets and defend to the best of our ability. They are a really good team. This will require our best effort to win on Friday.”

Franklin Regional planned to leave for Hershey on Friday morning then have an afternoon practice at Milton-Hershey High School.

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

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