Franklin-Simpson 63 - Glasgow 36

Franklin-Simpson High School, Franklin, Kentucky 02-22-08

The gym at Franklin-Simpson High School is kind of dark and antiquated, but there's something about it that I like. It's a horseshoe configuration, and the stands are very close to the playing floor. I always like it when the crowd is right on top of the action. The entrances are on the open end of the horseshoe, and the doors are just a few feet from the court. There's gray concrete just beyond the out-of-bounds line. The faded lines of shuffleboard courts are visible on either end. I guess at some point in the history of Franklin-Simpson High School they anticipated either a surge in retirees coming to basketball games or that shuffleboard was the sport of the future instead of soccer.

I don't want to criticize the facility because I'm a big fan of old gyms. They could dress the place up a little. I hope they never scrap the gym because if Wildcat fans packed that place, home court losses would be few and far between.

Franklin-Simspon plays the most sedative National Anthem music I've ever heard. It sounded like it came off of a Christmas album, and it was so mellow that I thought someone might announce that it was "medication time." The public address announcer livened things up, though, when he said, "Now, let's play some basketball." That's cool.

Friday night featured a dog and cat fight at the old gym in Franklin because the Glasgow Scotties trotted into town for a regular season finale with their Fourth Region foe to the south. As it turned out, the Wildcats got the best of the Scotties, who had their "Dawg Pound" in tow.

If anyone is looking for a team with the all around caliber to win the Fourth Region championship, they need to look at the first quarter of Friday's ballgame. Franklin-Simpson, as always, attacked the basket, but they played some of the best defense I've seen this season. They absolutely give opponents no space, especially on the perimeter.

Things got out-of-hand for Glasgow very early, and by the end of the first quarter they were down 23-4.

The two teams played even in the second quarter, each scoring 10 points. Charlie Mudd is one of the best passers I've seen this season. He has a knack at getting the ball to an open teammate, and he is deceptive with his eyes and head motion. For as good as Franklin-Simpson is on the defensive end, Mudd faked them out completely in the second quarter. I should note that Mudd is not the Scottie's point guard. He plays small forward. Craig Moiser for Glasgow had a couple of key steals in the second.

Glasgow's point guard, Jordan Johnson, got a little "chippy" with the Wildcats. He started playing defense with his elbows. I'd like to make a note to Mr. Johnson. Don't ever try that crap with Rayco Bryant because he could turn your elbow to a sack of cracked egg shells.

In the second quarter, Courtney Dalcourt tracked down a loose ball near the end of the court. He went after it, lost his footing, and slid like a baseball player while he tried to pass the ball. The referee called him out of bounds. It was the right call. What made it so impressive was that the referee did the identical slide while make the call. Things were a little dusty on the end of the court.

The halftime score was 33-14. I think what struck me was that Franklin-Simpson had a 19 point lead while having 12 fouls called against them. Glasgow committed only two first half fouls.

In the second half Coach David Clark did a good job of rotating his players in and out of the game, and I felt like the Wildcats were holding back so they wouldn't punish Glasgow too much. I got to see Jim Murphree play some minutes Friday night for Franklin-Simpson. He's a junior and has a wide wing span and plays the post very well. The Wildcats also have Terry Bryant, who is just a sophomore. This Bryant is 6'4" and has a lot of good moves in the post. I don't think he's any relation to Rayco Bryant.

I don't know why, but I've never really written anything about Andre' Gooch. I've gone over what I've posted about Franklin-Simpson and have found very little about him. It's either that he had bad games on the night's I saw them play or that I'm not an astute fan. The latter is most likely the case. Gooch is an excellent basketball player, and on Friday he was 8-10 from the field, including 4-6 from beyond the three point stripe. He scored 20 points.

Another things that makes Franklin-Simpson so good is that they distribute the ball very well. They had 18 assists with Colby Clark leading the way with nine. They had more assists than personal fouls. Glasgow, on the other hand, committed 14 fouls while logging only four assists. They also had 15 turnovers.

Franklin-Simpson won 63-36. They finish the season 22-6 and 18-2 in the region, which is the best record in the Fourth. Glasgow dropped to 15-11 and 5-9.

OBSERVATIONS

What Is That?: I'm not sure what the stuff coating the steel in the roof of Franklin-Simpson's gym is, but I hope they've checked it for asbestos. And, if Fourth Region schools ever put together shuffleboard teams, I know where the regional finals will be held every year.

Mudd Rasslin: I got to see my friend Ricky Mudd tonight. He's Glasgow's Charlie Mudd's father. I can't write anything bad about Charlie or Ricky will give me a whoopin. Mostly, though, I've met a lot of great people this season going to games throughout the region. I'm a transplant to the area but love this part of Kentucky. Following high school hoops this year has tied me even tighter to it.

Bet You Didn't Know: Johnny and June Carter Cash were married at First Methodist Church in downtown Franklin. Apparently, their fever carried them to Franklin and not Jackson. Which one was hiding behind a "Jaypan Fan"? Also, Confederate guerrilla Sue Mundy, whose real name was Jerome Clark, is buried in the cemetery at Franklin. The yankee aggressors hanged him in Louisville as a Confederate spy during the War of Northern Aggression.

Pick and Roll Bad Mojo for Scotty Dogs: Both times I've seen Glasgow play this season they've laid an egg. I've made a sworn statement to Scotty fans that I will not come to the first round of the 15th District tournament.