Only two unbeatens left as rival high school knocks off state’s No. 1
The ranks of the unbeaten boys’ high school basketball teams took a hit Tuesday night as No. 10 Elizabethtown rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat No. 1 John Hardin in front of a packed Panthers gym.
Jaquias Franklin scored 30 points in helping lead Elizabethtown (16-0) to an 81-74 comeback over its cross-town rival, John Hardin (20-1), after trailing by eight heading into the fourth quarter.
“They beat us both times last year, and we just wanted to come out and make a statement that we could play with them,” Franklin told KySports.TV after he escaped the student-section court storm. “They’re a really good all-around team and they’re experienced, so I’m glad we got the win. We fought hard tonight.”
John Hardin’s loss leaves Elizabethtown and Ashland Blazer (20-0) as the state’s only unbeatens heading into the second half of the season. Ashland is ranked No. 6 in the latest Cantrall Ratings. John Hardin has also been No. 1 in each week’s Associated Press rankings.
Last weekend, John Hardin rolled to its second Kentucky 2A Championships title in the mid-size team event’s second year. The Bulldogs went undefeated in the regular season last year on their way to a 5th Region title, but were knocked out of the KHSAA Boys’ Sweet Sixteen by Campbell County in a one-point game.
Alex Matthews led the Bulldogs with 31 points and keyed John Hardin’s third quarter surge to the lead, scoring 17 of his points in that frame on Tuesday night.
This story was originally published January 22, 2020 at 12:33 PM.
