King Holiday Hoopfest | Franklin tops Bainbridge

In the final minute of the fourth quarter, Venoy Overton and Peyton Siva stood at mid-court at Edmundson Pavilion and exchanged a playful shove and a laugh.

The Franklin High School guards could smile and enjoy themselves as the Quakers put the finishing touches on a 73-64 win over Bainbridge in the King Holiday Hoopfest Monday night. But for most of the night, the showdown between two of the state's top teams was far too close for joking around.

Bainbridge (9-1), ranked second in the state in Class 3A, led by seven points at halftime and wasn't out of it until the final minute.

Franklin (9-2), ranked No. 1 in 4A, got its best test of the season from in-state competition, and responded with a 45-point second half in a comeback win.

Franklin opened the second half on a 6-0 run, and it was back and forth after that. The Quakers took their first lead of the second half with only 57 seconds remaining in the third quarter on a three-point play by Siva. That was the first of eight lead changes over the next two minutes.

Overton led the way with 24 points and had two big baskets down the stretch. The 6-foot-1 senior guard, who will play for USC next season, drove through several Bainbridge defenders for a layin that gave the Quakers a five-point lead. After a free throw by Bainbridge's Steven Gray, Overton answered with a pull-up jumper that extended the lead to six with 1:53 remaining.

Gray, a Gonzaga recruit who entered the game averaging 23 points, scored a team-high 21 but made only eight of 24 shots.

"It feels good to get a win against a good player like him and against a good team like that," said Overton.

Franklin made just three of 15 three-point attempts and nine of 36 shots in the first half.

"The part that impressed me the most was our ability to adjust in the second half," said Franklin coach Jason Kerr. "We adjusted well and found ways to get buckets that were a little bit more high percentage."

Siva, a 6-foot sophomore guard who will likely join Overton and Gray in the Division-I college ranks, added 20 points — 16 in the second half.

Siva was hoping for two more late in the game when he felt Overton could have thrown him an alley-oop, but Overton slowed the play down, drawing a playful shove from his teammate.

"He was giving me a hard time," explained Overton. "I didn't know whether to throw it or bring it back out, but he got on me for it. That's like my little brother. We've got a good chemistry on the floor."

Cody Gibler, a 6-9 senior, had 19 points, 16 rebounds and four blocks for the Spartans, who found some positives in the defeat.

"I think we reassured ourselves and proved to other people around here that we are among the top teams in the state this year," said Bainbridge coach Scott Orness.

Total attendance for the seven-game event was announced as 4,500.