The Owls fought hard on Saturday night but fell harder in the end. They were bested 70-64 by the Franklin Grizzly Cubs at Lloyd Scott Gymnasium. 

The first quarter the Owls were going very strong. They went on a 16-0 scoring run. That quarter when they were down 4-7, they took off. That’s when their 16-0 scoring run took over. Shot after shot, field goal after field goal, nothing could stop them. Except their defense. Franklin hit the shot from outside the arch, making it 20-10. This is where Seymour slowed down and lost that fire running through them. The quarter ended with a Seymour lead 22-10. 

From here on out, the Owls really did not get their way. From 14-6, 17-8, then ever so slightly with 29-28, they were outscored every quarter. “And our rotations were just slow…” Head Coach Kirk Manns said. However, he sort of nailed their defense the entire interview. Despite being outscored, the Owls kept it close. The biggest lead of the night was 14 for Franklin, Seymour’s biggest was 13. “I have many concerns, none other than the way we’re guarding right now. We’re almost not.” Coach Manns kept brutally honest with his statement. Seymour sort of picked up late in the fourth quarter, but was much too late. “We’re good in spurts. We compete really hard at the end when we fall behind… The negative side was our defensive effort the entire night,” Coach Manns stated. 

Seymour scoring was mostly Jaylan Johnson and Landon Fritsch. Johnson had 30 and Fritsch had 16. Jaylan’s scoring was “big. Every point is important when you’re playing from behind,” according to Coach Manns. Bret Perry, Ethan Silcox, and Charlie Longmeier tagged along with five. Last but not least, Eli Meyer had three. Franklin scoring was more consistent and close. Dylan Beverly and John Shepard had nine. Wyatt Nickleson was the leading scorer for Franklin with 19, mostly from behind the arch as well. Grant Hunter had 11. Nate Corley had six and finally, Micah Davis had 16.

It’s not looking up for the Owls either. The next two games the Owls play will be a challenge. They head to Jeffersonville on the 9th, then they go to Jennings County on the 17th. Going to Whiteland could pose a challenge. Granted, every game will be a challenge if their defense continues to not show up like Coach Manns was talking about.

Gallery | 3 Photos

The starters gather before the game starts.