LAKE CHARLES – For the third consecutive year, the Franklin Senior High School basketball team will be competing on the final day of the season. 

After finishing as runners-up in 2023 and earning a state championship in 2024, the Hornets know that it takes talent, determination and a little bit of luck to make it to the final. On Monday, the team displayed all three. 

Both teams began the game with tight defense, going up and down the court without scoring while probing the opposition for weaknesses. The first points of the game came after three and a half minutes courtesy of a free throw from Franklin senior Jylon Jackson. With points now on the board, the game began to open up as Franklin ended the quarter with a 7-4 lead.

The message to the team was what we’ve preached all year: continue to play defense, continue to be humble and continue to be hungry,” explained Franklin head coach Tremayne Johnson after the game. “We can’t control much on offense but we can control our attitude and our intensity on defense.”

Several changes to the starting lineup in the second quarter saw Franklin’s lead begin to slip as East Iberville took advantage of the changes to force several turnovers. The Hornets continued to press East Iberville before the break, but the Tigers managed to fight back. A key three pointer from Jylon Jackson at the buzzer gave the Hornets a bit of breathing room as they entered halftime with Franklin holding a narrow 18-13 lead.

The third quarter was more of the same. Franklin outscored the Tigers 13-11 to maintain a slight lead, but with nothing left to lose, East Iberville came out swinging in the fourth quarter of play. The Tigers drew to within one point of Franklin with 5:40 left in the game before senior Treyshaun Mack scored to increase the lead to three points. 

With just under three minutes remaining in the game, the Tigers finally drew level at 36-36, a scoreline that lasted until Jackson scored another crucial free throw with 53 seconds left in the game. A flurry of fouls, travels and free throws dragged out the final minute of the game, but the result wasn’t to be denied. The Hornets would be returning to another state championship game. 

Senior Treyshaun Mack led the Hornets on offense and defense, scoring 12 points and recording seven rebounds and three steals. Jahiri Perry ended the game with nine points, seven rebounds and three steals. Jylon Jackson (7 points, 5 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists) and Jorian Gray (5 points, 5 steals, 4 assists, 3 rebounds) also contributed heavily to the win. 

Head coach Tremayne Johnson was happy to have the win, but left the game wanting more from his senior class. 

“I wanted a little bit more from (Treyshaun Mack) tonight, I know what he is capable of. He did a wonderful job tonight, but I think our seniors need to step up a little bit more than they did as a whole,” Johnson said. 

Part of Johnson’s concerns lies in the late comebacks they have allowed in all three of the team’s playoff games this season. Against Ringgold in the second round, Franklin seemed unable to secure rebounds and allowed the Redskins to within two points of the lead in the fourth quarter. The story was the same in the quarterfinals against Haynesville, who lost by three points after mounting a comeback late in the game. 

For Johnson, the way to fix the team’s woes lies not in his preparation or game planning, but instead in his team’s ability to execute on the court. 

“It’s something that we can fix before the finals but it’s not on me,” Johnson said of the team’s troubles. “I can only put in the gameplan, it’s up to those guys.”

Franklin will face off against top-seeded Vinton on Friday in the Division IV Non-Select state championship game at the Burton Coliseum in Lake Charles. The Lions defeated Ferriday with a last-second three pointer in their semifinal contest on Monday. Tip off for Friday’s state championship game is scheduled for 6 p.m.