It is nearly February and Franklin High School (FHS) is approaching the end of its basketball season. The Panthers, both varsity and junior varsity (JV), are all marking winning seasons as January comes to a close.
Varsity Lady Panthers
At 10-9 (6-3) the Lady Panthers are in third place in a tough Mountain Seven Conference (M7C) this season. FHS is now three games behind Pisgah, after a loss at Canton Jan. 28 for a season sweep by the Lady Bears.
Bekah Brooks, who is assistant varsity women’s coach, elaborated on the state of the team, this side of the season’s midway point.

“This varsity team is young, but they are growing each day. We have done some not-so-good things and lost to teams we should have beaten, but we have also learned from those mistakes, practiced, changed, and have grown. They are trying and I am really excited to see them peak at the right time.”
With a stretch of conference games coming up, the team is seeking consistency. The Lady Panthers have four more games, two home and two away, in the next week. Those outcomes will go a long way in determining their season.
“This team is full of standouts,” said Brooks. “Senior McKenna Plemmons is our set shooter and if she’s on we need to get her the ball; [senior] Aubrey Haley has done very well scoring in her range by working in the post, grabbing rebounds, and making the other team shoot over someone tall with her great defense. Our bigger players, senior Payton Baty, and juniors Katelyn Foster and Meliah Mason, are all taking minutes in the paint and doing very well scoring in the post and rebounding.

Bristol Brooks, the assistant coach’s daughter, plays point as a freshman. Coach Brooks added, “She not only leads the team in points scored, but also prides herself (and her coaches) by assisting others, getting some steals, and making free throws. Sophomores Rylee Greene and Layla Maloy play off the bench and make a great duo playing great defense and scoring some as well.”
Despite the conference setbacks, coaches still have their eyes on a share of the conference.
“The girls want that so bad but we’ve got to take care of business – win games we are supposed to win and challenge [first place] Pisgah,” said Brooks.
JV Girls
JV Head Coach Bekah Brooks, flying solo this year while leading the junior varsity (JV) Lady Panthers, had her team in the midst of an undefeated season until they met the Pisgah Bears this week. Following their first loss at Pisgah Jan. 28, Brooks’ girls are 12-1 (7-1), with only four games remaining.
Brooks is coaching the team with no assistant coach this year because her assistant, (and husband) Josh Brooks, has an opportunity to go watch their son play on the Macon Middle School boys’ team.
Team Statistician Cindy Harrell said, “The JV team looks good. They’re playing like a well-oiled machine.”
As she approaches any season, be it basketball or volleyball, Brooks strives for championships.
“Winning the conference is a goal,” she said. “Winning the conference tournament is another goal. We have to keep our eyes on the prize and keep preparing for each game.”
She added that the second time around the conference is tougher because teams know you better. The opponents will be better prepared so her girls need to match the preparedness and stay focused. As for the remaining schedule, the coach acknowledged the challenges in front of her team.
“I think every game will be harder. We have to know that and expect everyone’s best.”
Given the experience Brooks has gained in her years as head coach, she understands that a 17-game season is more of a journey than a sprint. She emphasized teamwork and togetherness.
“These 13 girls are working together to try and keep us on top. [Sophomore] Lass Ward and [freshman] Aubrey Newsome running the point; a great group of guard play that can be interchangeable, and ‘wow,’ our inside/post work – they are killing it! I am proud of the work and determination, proud they are more than just basketball players – they are also just amazing girls.”

Varsity Men
Following their win at Pisgah, Coach Doug Plemmons’ varsity Panthers stood at 15-4 (7-2) for the season; second place in the M7C. With a few long winning streaks behind them, FHS would like to close out the regular season with another one, given the four conference games left.
Last week saw a rematch with East Henderson, which was the only M7C loss suffered by the Panthers back in early December. The second time around, FHS again fell to the Eagles, 59-46, but bounced back convincingly vs. Tuscola, 81-30, three days later.
A bright spot this year has been senior guard Max McClure breaking his own brother’s career scoring record Jan. 9 against Andrews. Miles McClure held the old record at 1,281 points, set against the Pisgah Bears in 2022. Max has a few games yet to pad his own place in Panther basketball history.
“Pretty neat for one family to have that kind of feat – good genes,” observed Plemmons.
The coach reflected on the season, following a 91-61 victory over Hayesville. “We are averaging around 70 points per game and we try to keep opponents under 60.”
Asked about Cherokee transfer, JackJack Teesateskie, Plemmons praised his ability and effort. “Just a really good basketball player – highly skilled on offense. He has a lot of ‘court sense’ and sees the floor well. He also causes problems [for opponents] defensively. And he’s fit in really well with our team and our community.”
A junior, JackJack plays guard and leads the team in both free throw percentage and three-point shooting. Other standouts on the squad include senior Noah Brannon and sophomore William Rauers, also both guards. On top of his starting rotation, Plemmons lauded his bench, including junior Addix Sutton and sophomore Lance Parker as the main contributors.
“Our strength is our balance; we have three players averaging double figures and two others just below. It’s a really good bunch of kids who come to work every day – even the ones who don’t get to play quite as much.”
JV Boys
The JV boys find themselves at 13-2 (5-1) after 14 games and possess a seven-game winning streak.
“This season has been a surprise as we have played better than expected given the youth and inexperience that we have on the team. Every player on the roster has gotten better and contributed in some way to the team’s success,” said Head Coach Tres Rogers. “Gunner McConnell is our leader on the court. Defensively he is great. He gets his hands on passes and disrupts the other team every night. He runs our offense, scores and rebounds extremely well. He is our best overall player this season. Paxton Sutton is our leading scorer and a great offensive player who can get to the basket and finish with his strength and shoot from deep. He plays really good defense and is a very balanced player for us. Daiveon Hall is our big guy in the middle. He is athletic, very skilled for a young post player, and is doing everything we need from him.”
Rogers also lauded the effort put forth by sophomore Caiden Mason, who has been steady as a long-range shooter and has gotten better defensively, according to his coach. Rogers also revealed that he expected a big season from sophomore Jake Pendergrass, but he has battled injuries and illness and was just getting healthy in mid-January.
Assistant Coach Mark Sutton added, “We lost to North Henderson, but it has been a good start to the season with a young team. Gunner and Paxton are surrounded by a strong inside presence and a lot of great shooters from the outside, including sophomores Jake and Caiden. We are striving to take first in our conference. We also hope to finish in the top four, which allows us to play in the JV conference tournament.”
The team looks to avenge the Knights loss at home Feb. 7.
Rogers expressed his optimism for this year and beyond. “We are going to get the most out of this season and finish strong. I’m also looking forward to next year’s team, as I think these guys are going to improve throughout this season and have a great summer to come together and get ready to make noise in 2025-2026.”