Lawson scores 13 to push Tharptown past Rebels

By Staff
BELGREEN – The eighth-grade boys team got off to a hot start against Tharptown Monday night, but it was the Wildcats that finished strong to earn a 37-25 victory in the Franklin County Junior High Basketball Tournament.
The fifth-seeded Rebels jumped out to a 9-2 lead midway through the first quarter, but Tharptown went on an 8-2 run to cut East Franklin's lead to 11-10 by the end of the quarter.
Tharptown, the fourth seed, continued the rally eventually taking a 16-13 lead, but the Rebels were able to rally as well and closed the Wildcats' lead to 19-18 at halftime.
The Rebels briefly regained the lead, but Tharptown outscored them 9-6 in the third before shutting out East Franklin during the final quarter of play.
With the win the Wildcats advance to the semifinals where they will play top-seeded Vina. The game will be Saturday at 1:30 p.m. at Belgreen High School.
Drake Lawson scored a game-high 13 points for the Wildcats while Mike Rice, Adam Borden and Eduardo Saldana scored six points each. Trenton Borden added five points and Steve Smith scored one point.
Christian Garcia led East Franklin with nine points while Eric Odell scored six points.
Also scoring for the Rebels were Mack Baker and Luke Baker with three points each and Austin McAfee and Blake Whitten with two points each.