Seymour’s girls basketball team got the start it wanted but couldn’t sustain that effort in a 58-39 loss to No. 7 Franklin on Thursday night.
The Owls (8-9) jumped to an 8-0 lead during the game’s first three minutes and led 11-6 with less than two minutes remaining in the opening period before yielding to Franklin’s run-and-gun offense.
The Grizzly Cubs (16-1) outscored Seymour 25-3 during the final nine minutes of the first half and eased to the victory.
“Where the game got away from us was in the second quarter,” Seymour head coach Jason Longmeier said. “We got gassed, and then we started playing their game. We got off to a great start and really controlled the tempo. But as we got tired, we started making mental mistakes.”
Franklin entered the game with a well-earned reputation for running a fast offense and shooting 3-pointers liberally. The Cubs didn’t disappoint Thursday night, firing up 60 shots, 40 of which were 3-pointers. They made 13 of those long shots.
Franklin started the game just 2-for-12 from the 3-point line, however, and the Owls took advantage by shooting 3-for-3 from the field on two layups by Grace Meyer and a fast break layup by Alyssa Perry. Along with a pair of free throws by Kendall Sterling, Seymour found itself leading 8-0 with 5:10 left in the first period.
Franklin broke its scoring drought with a 3-pointer by freshman Lauren Klem a minute later. Fellow freshman Erica Buening followed with another 3-pointer, and the Cubs were off and running.
Feeding the Cubs game-changing run were nine first-half turnovers by Seymour. The Owls ended with 17 errors, while Franklin committed just eight.
“There were just too many turnovers,” Longmeier said. “If we would have finished more possessions, this could have been a different game.”
Seymour was led by Grace Meyer, who scored 11 points, followed by Sterling’s nine. Grace Schrader grabbed a team-high six rebounds and scored six points.
Franklin was paced by yet another freshman, Scarlett Kimbrell, who knocked down seven 3-pointers and scored a game-high 21 points.
Based purely on its 16-1 record, Franklin is the best team the Owls have faced so far this season, though Bedford North Lawrence (17-2), Silver Creek (17-3) and Salem (16-2) aren’t far removed from the Cubs’ impressive record.
Indicating the strength of its schedule, 10 of Seymour’s 17 opponents this season boast 11 or more wins. Four of those teams are ranked in the top 10 of either The Associated Press or coaches’ poll or both.
“A tough schedule is helpful if you can learn from it,” Longmeier said. “We were 23rd in strength of schedule coming into tonight. That will only improve after tonight. Playing a tough schedule definitely can’t hurt us.”
Over their last eight games, the Owls have toggled between a win and a loss, never getting beyond a one-game streak in either direction. If that pattern holds after Thursday’s loss, Seymour’s chances of a win against Charlestown (6-7) on Saturday look solid.
Box score
At Seymour
Franklin 58, Seymour 39
Franklin;12;19;16;11;—;58
Seymour;11;3;12;13;—;39
Seymour (8-9): Grace Meyer 5 0-0 11, Kendall Sterling 3 3-4 9, Brooke Trinkle 2 2-6 6, Grace Schrader 1 4-5 6, Kendrick Sterling 1 0-0 3, Jamya Miller 1 0-0 2, Alyssa Perry 1 0-0 2, Eliza Cash 0 0-0 0. Totals: 14 9-15 39.
Franklin (16-1): Scarlett Kimbrell 7 0-0 21, Lauren Klem 4 0-0 12, Megan Thompson 5 0-0 11, Erica Buening 4 0-0 9, Kuryn Brunson 1 2-4 4, Lauren Sandrock 0 1-2 1, Kyra Baker 0 0-0 0, Abby Ferguson 0 0-0 0, Natosha Root 0 0-0 0. Totals: 21 3-6 58.
3-point goals: Franklin (Kimbrell 7, Klem 4, Buening, Thompson), Seymour (Meyer, Kendrick Sterling)
Rebounds: Franklin 35 (Kimbrell 7, Thompson 7, Buening 6, Brunson 5), Seymour 27 (Schrader 6, Trinkle 5, Kendall Sterling 5)
Turnovers: Franklin 8, Seymour 17
Fouls: Franklin 13, Seymour 6
Junior varsity
Franklin 64, Seymour 35
Seymour: Journee Brown 20, Sydney Montgomery 8, Lexi Morris 3, Cali Cummings 2, Jaidyn Nichols 1, Lainey Jackson 1.