High School Sports

It's not that often that you see a defending state champion down big in the first quarter. But that's the position red-hot Franklin put No. 8 Holy Names in Friday night in their Metro League girls basketball showdown.

The Quakers jumped out to a 12-0 advantage, led 22-7 after the first quarter and coasted to a 59-34 win over last year's Class 3A state champs. Franklin has won eight in a row.

"We've got to respect (Holy Names)," Franklin coach Jasen Thomas said. "They've been to the championship game twice in a row, and that's where we want to be. We've got a lot of seniors who are buying in and working hard to get there."

The victory keeps Franklin (11-4, 10-1 Metro Valley) one game behind Cleveland, which is undefeated in the Valley Division with one week remaining in the regular season. The Quakers' only loss in league play was to Cleveland on Dec. 16. The rematch is set for Feb. 1 at Franklin.

"We've got four more games," Thomas said. "We can't let up now."

Senior guard Patrice Toston scored 16 points to lead the Quakers, frustrating the Cougars with gorgeous spin moves and crossover dribbles that paved open paths to the basket. Her 12 first-half points fueled Franklin's surge, and she showed composure in the fourth quarter by backing off to let her teammates take control of the game late.

"She's the best-kept secret in the league," Thomas said of Toston, who was 8 for 12 shooting. "She can handle the ball, she can shoot, and she works hard every day."

Franklin's first quarter couldn't have gone much better. The Quakers forced eight turnovers and shot 9 of 13 from the field. Three fast-break baskets by Toston put Franklin up 6-0, and the Quakers extended their lead to 12-0 on a Toston dish to Jazmin Horne, who scored 10.

Holy Names (12-2, 10-2 Metro Mountain) shot just 19 percent from the field in the first half.

"Franklin came out and we didn't, it's as simple as that," Cougars coach Lee Adams said.

Holy Names made a run in the third quarter and closed the gap to 39-30 heading into the final frame. But 12 points combined by Horne and Qiara Norwood put the nail in the coffin in a big way. Norwood finished with 12.

Cougars forward Sophie Reichert scored all 10 of her points in the first half, but the Quakers' defense clamped down as the game went on and limited Holy Names to just one field goal in the fourth quarter.

"You have to be able to match their intensity and composure," said Adams, whose team is locked in a tight battle with Seattle Prep for first place in the Mountain Division. "I thought our intensity was OK and our composure was horrible."