By Skip Weaver

Contributing writer

If there was any question whether or not the Franklin boys basketball team belonged on the same court with defending Division II state champion Dunbar, there is no more.

Even though the Wildcats lost a grueling back-and-forth battle 66-63 in the D-II sectional finals Thursday night at the University of Dayton Arena, many of the players believe they earned some respect from Dayton fans.

“Nobody thought we could hang with them, but we proved we could,” Franklin senior Travis Lakins said.

The Wildcats (19-4) looked in control with a 12-point advantage midway through the third quarter, but it only took a three-minute span for Dunbar (19-6) to go on a 15-3 run that tied the game at 48-48. Neither team led by more than four points the rest of the way.

Kraig Hill hit one of his two 3-pointers in the game with just over a minute remaining to pull Franklin within one point, but the Wolverines hit a bucket and sank 2-of-4 free throws the rest of the way to complete the victory.

“We live for another day,” Dunbar coach Peter Pullen said. He also called the game a “signature win” for his squad. “It was one of the best this year.”

Pullen also called Franklin sophomore Luke Kennard the “real deal.”

Kennard led the Wildcats with 21 points, but only five of those came in the second half as the Dunbar pressure slowed him down.

“It’s a game of runs,” Kennard said, saying he was at a loss for words. “It stings to see this season come to an end, but I’m so proud of our guys. I think we proved we could play with them.”

Kennard had a chance to send the game to overtime with a last-second shot, but he was slightly off balance and the ball caromed off the rim into the arms of an awaiting Dunbar player.

“It does sting,” Franklin coach Brian Bales said. “We knew they could make runs, but we can make runs too. We just came up on the losing end this time.

“Luke is a once in a lifetime player,” he continued. “But we had others that stepped up too. This team has great chemistry. It is hard to see it come to an end.”

Lakins, Hill and Evan Crowe each added 10 points for the Wildcats, while Dunbar had three players in double figures led by William Green with 22 points. A.J. Harris and Jordan Smith contributed 18 and 13 respectively.

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