Hornets head coach Treymane Johnson attends a postgame interview with seniors Dayln Bell (left) and Ashton Page. 

LAKE CHARLES – Trouble seemed to be brewing early in the second half for Franklin Senior High in its Division IV non-select semifinal game with White Castle on Tuesday.

The second-seeded Bulldogs had outscored the third-seeded Hornets 20-11 in the second quarter for a 28-18 lead. FSH guard Jay’Shaun Johnson, who had a team-high 8 points, committed his fourth foul just 27 seconds into the third quarter.

White Castle added another bucket for a 12-point lead, and then things changed dramatically. The Hornets buckled down on defense, allowing only eight points the rest of the way, and Dalyn Bell took over the game, a 42-38 win.

Even with Johnson – a spectacular facilitator and shot-creator – on the bench for much of the second half with four fouls, the Hornets were able to control the pace and advance to the finals on Friday vs. No. 4 North Central.

“I have warriors,” FSH coach Tremayne Johnson said. “They’re ready to go at the drop of a dime. It doesn’t matter who I have in the game at that point. They go out, contribute and do their job.”

Bell, who shot 3 of 4 from the field in the second half, scored 16 points with 21 rebounds, four blocks and four steals. At 6-foot-3 and 6-foot-5, White Castle’s big men had the size advantage, but Bell out hustled and out maneuvered them.

“We wanted it, and we went out and got it,” Bell said.

“In the second half, Franklin came out tough on defense,” White Castle coach Dawan Carter said. “We didn’t execute in the second half like we did in the first half.

“They got a lot of key rebounds in the second half which led to them getting second-chance points. It was a tough, hard-fought game by two good teams.”

When Johnson left the game with his fourth foul, Tavon Ballet came off the bench and scored 7 of his team’s 11 points in the third quarter.

The Hornets (21-5) lost in the Class 2A semifinals in Lake Charles two years ago. Johnson said the team benefited from that experience.

“I think the biggest thing is that we had the opportunity to play at this coliseum two years ago,” he said. “We understand the court is longer, and the depth perception is way different than a high school court.”

White Castle (27-10) point guard Jalen Washington scored 15 points in the first half, but was limited to one field goal on 1 of 9 shooting (and a free throw) in the second half. Treshaun Mack played sticky defense on Washington and received help from J’kylon Ceaser.

Franklin will be vying for its first state title since 1958. North Central, which defeated top-seeded East Feliciana earlier Tuesday, has won three of the last four Class 1A championships.