Tourney Time for Franklin Hoops

While local students, teachers and administrators are relaxing over winter break, both varsity basketball teams are putting in work on the hardwood.

Franklin’s girls team kicks off action at La Cañada High School today. The Panthers take on Hart High School (2-8) in the team’s first game of La Canada New Year's Ball tournament.

This will be the fourth game for the Panthers in the young season. FHS was on the losing end, 75-30, of its season opening contest against Garfield High School. Results for Franklin’s recent Northern League match ups against Wilson and Lincoln were unavailable.

Rena Tomihara led the squad in scoring against Garfield, scoring 14 points on a 4-for-13 shooting effort. Hart is coming off back-to-back losses against Culver City and Notre Dame.

The Panthers boys team is in its second day of competition at the La Salle/Temple City Holiday Classic. FHS (5-4, 2-0 Northern League) suffered a four point loss, 63-59, to Hoover High School in the opening game of the tournament on Monday.  

“We played six guys, our bench isn’t deep and they just got tired,” Head coach Robin Cardona said about the loss.

Cardona also said his team is young and inexperienced. The lone returning player for Franklin is 6-foot-4 inch senior Zach Hinton, who is averaging 25.4 ppg for the Panthers.

Hinton has scored 231 points through the team’s first nine games and has made 98-of-150 field goal attempts. He’s also averaging 12 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game.

Franklin tips off at 6 p.m. tonight in its second game of the La Salle/Temple City Holiday Classic against a yet-to-be determined opponent.

“We hope to get to play some good teams over the next four days, so our team can mesh a little bit more,” Cardona said.