Both Franklin teams victorious vs. West St. Mary

Kiara Butler and Dwonyell Charles led Franklin High past West St. Mary in hotly-contested battles in the annual Franklin High Basketball Jamboree Thursday night at the Franklin High School Gym.
In the three-game set of the annual Franklin High Jamboree, Franklin’s Lady Hornets pulled out a 22-20 win over the West St. Mary Lady Wolfpack while the Franklin Hornets turned back the West St. Mary Wolfpack, 39-33 in the nightcap.
FRANKLIN 22, WEST ST. MARY 20
Kiara Butler tossed in 13 points, leading the Franklin Lady Hornets past the West St. Mary Lady Wolfpack, 22-20 in the abbreviated contest.
Butler finished as the game’s only double-digit scorer.
Other top scorers for the Lady Hornets were: Statrail Butler with six points and Jazmine Byers with 2.
Italy Jack led the Lady Wolfpack with six points ahead of Chyna Druilhet’s five and Jakia Tillman’s four points. Takylinn Hart tossed in three points while Ashely Jenkins finished with two points.
FRANKLIN 39, WEST ST. MARY 33
Dwonyell Charles fired in a game-high 18 points, helping the Franklin Hornets hold off the West St. Mary Wolfpack, 39-36, in jamboree action Thursday.
Charles made good on a pair of crucial free throws with less than a minute remaining in the hotly-contested battle to put Franklin ahead for good at 39-33 in the final seconds of the heated contest.
Charles, who poured in 18 points, duplicated an earlier effort when he bagged a pair of freebies to send the Hornets out front by a 35-27 margin at the 3:01 mark of the second period.
In the preseason game which displayed the intensity of a mid-season battle, West St. Mary took a 2-0 lead Dave Jones hit the game’s first field goal.
Franklin quickly responded with Charles connecting on the second of a pair of charity shot as the Hornets trailed West St. Mary 2-1.
After West St. Mary leading scorer Duante Charles made good on a pair of freebies, Franklin’s Ervin Collins answered with a short range jumper as the Wolfpack clung to a 4-3 lead.
Franklin’s Kevin Ina made good on a basket before Charles connected on a long-range bomb to send the Hornets ahead by a 8-4 margin with 4:18 showing on the clock.
West St. Mary’s Charles responded with four straight points, enabling the Wolfpack to knot the score at 8-8 with 3:39 left in the first half.
Charles soared skyward for a thunderous dunk while helping the Wolfpack knot the game at 8 apiece.
Franklin’s Charles quickly answered with a trey, giving the Hornets a three-point lead at 11-8.
West St. Mary tied the game again at 11-11 on baskets from Charles and Tyron Jones at the 2:58 mark of the first half.
Franklin’s Josh Parker led the Hornets on a 5-0 run with back-to-back steals and lay-ins as FHS took a 15-11 lead.
Mario Williams scored on a free throw as the Hornets stretched their lead to 16-11.
WSM’s Chris Snowden scored on a 3-pointer as the Wolfpack trimmed Franklin’s lead to 16-13 a short time later.
Before the half ended, Franklin’s Charles found the bottom of the net on a short-range jumper to give Franklin an 18-13 halftime cushion.
In the second half, Franklin managed to outscore West St. Mary by a narrow 21-20 margin to pull out the 39-33 win.
Franklin built a 26-19 lead at the 5:21 mark of the second half on Collins’ close-in basket.
West St. Mary’s Tywan Polidore bagged a trey and the subsequent free throw as the Wolfpack trailed the Hornets 28-23 with 4:46 remaining.
Ina scored to give the Hornets prior to Snowden tickled the twine for West St. Mary as Franklin held a 30-25 lead.
Franklin’s Charles later bagged another trey, giving the Hornets a 33-25 advantage. Charles later gave the Hornets a 35-27 lead when he bagged consecutive freebies.
West St. Mary came roaring back at 35-31 when Duante Charles poured in a pair of free throws before Oshay Phillips fired in a long-range bomb plus a free throw with 2:08 showing on the clock.
Down the stretch, Franklin went on a 4-2 run to close out the abbreviated contest with a hard-fought 39-33 win.
Franklin’s Ina and Charles close out the game with baskets to lead the Hornets to the pulsating 39-33 win.
Charles led all scorers with 18 points while Ina finished with eight. Parker tossed in seven points while Collins finished with four.

West St. Mary’s Duante Charles finished with 12 points with Snowen tossing in eight and Polidore bagging six. Phillips tallied three points while Jones had one point to close out the scoring for the Wolfpack.