‘We have a lot to prove.’ Franklin County aims to hush doubters in postseason.
A few uncharacteristic losses and some COVID-19 stoppages this season might have knocked the Franklin County Lady Flyers out of the rankings and off people’s radar as the postseason nears.
But a come-from-behind 46-45 win over No. 15 Highlands on Wednesday served notice: The Flyers and no-doubt Miss Basketball nominee Brooklynn Miles have gone nowhere; they’re still dangerous; and they believe.
“I feel like we have a lot to prove,” Miles, a Tennessee commit, said after scoring eight points with seven rebounds and six assists against the Bluebirds. “A lot of people are doubting us this season … We can beat anybody that steps on the court with us.”
Miles got her last assist on Cameryn Ridderikhoff’s game-tying three-pointer out of the left corner in the final seconds and then Miles stole Highlands’ ensuing inbounds pass. A timeout set up Franklin County with the ball and a chance to win with nine seconds left.
Driving into the lane on the next play, Miles got fouled and hit one of two free throws to put Franklin County up 46-45 with 3.9 seconds left, its first lead of the second half. Highlands’ game-ending try for the win missed.
Ridderikhoff’s three-pointer marked her only points of the game, and came in a big spot for an eighth-grader.
“She’s gonna be a heck of a player,” Franklin County Coach Joey Thacker said of Ridderikhoff. “She jumped up and made a big shot and didn’t flinch. And you can tell those ones when they’re young, that are able to do that. The moment didn’t bother her. And our kids look for her.”
The Flyers (12-5) trailed by as many as eight points early in the fourth quarter against one of the 9th Region’s best teams. But they kept feeding dominant post players Patience Laster and Jhaven Meade on offense and stepped up their intensity on defense to slowly climb back in it.
“We just realized we had to hustle and give our effort,” Miles said of the rally. “It’s always our effort with us. We know we can beat any team with our effort. We just have to give it.”
Laster scored seven of her 16 points in the period, five of those at the free throw line. Meade had a pair of low-post buckets. Kelsey Listerman led Highlands (17-6) with 13 points.
“It felt great to get back in the game and win — most definitely win,” Laster said. “When we get down and then come up, everybody’s hyped, and it gets crazy.”
Returning four starters from last year’s 11th Region championship team, the Flyers came into the year as the Herald-Leader preseason No. 2 and after a week of play rose to No. 1 in the Associated Press poll. Then came a 32-point home loss to Anderson County, an eight-point road loss to Bardstown and more than three weeks sidelined by COVID-19 quarantines.
They also lost starting junior guard Jazmin Chambers to a knee injury for the season. For the last few weeks, Thacker has had a family health emergency take him away from the team, as well.
“It’s been pretty tough. You just kind of walk around waiting for the other shoe to drop,” Thacker said. “Whether it be quarantines or injuries or ice or snow. At any time, I look for a hurricane to show up during the regional tournament.”
The Flyers have been through a lot, Thacker said.
“I told them, going into the postseason, they have no idea how much respect I have for them because of what — as a teenager — they’ve been put through,” Thacker said. “To interrupt their lives for a year, I’ve got a lot of respect for how our kids have dealt with that.”
Next up, Franklin County enters the 41st District Tournament as the No. 1 seed with a game on Tuesday facing the winner of Monday’s tilt between Western Hills and Frankfort Christian. Franklin County has won seven 41st District titles in a row and has won the 11th Region crown four out of the last six years. Despite this year’s setbacks, Franklin County remains the highest rated 11th Region team according to Dave Cantrall’s list.
“I know everybody thinks that we’ve kind of just faltered this year,” Thacker said. “I guess we’ll find out in the next three weeks.”
