The 2025-2026 Franklin Basketball team finished the regular season 11-12. This is a senior-led group with 7 seniors on the team. Franklin had their ups and downs this season, like a win at Greenwood, some of the best basketball Franklin has played all year. Franklin finished 5th in the Mid-State Conference with a 3-4 record. Captain Omari Thomas has been a leader on the court this Season, leading the team in points with 13.1 points per game, 3.4 assists per game, and 4.3 rebounds per game and also leads the team in steals with 2.4 steals per game.
Coach Moss is looking for another sectional title, as the last one Franklin won was in 2023-2024. The team in 2023-2024 had an excellent record of 18-4 before falling in the regional game to Center Grove. Current IUPUI guard Micah Davis averaged 25.1 points per game that year for Franklin.
Sectional Draw: East Central Trojans
Franklin Community was excited about their draw on Sunday, February 22, 2026, when their name popped up on the screen. Their opponent was the East Central Trojans. East Central was no team to sleep on, despite a 9-14 record. East Central played a tough brand of basketball, and star player Liam Rogers averaged 18.7 points per game. If they could win game one, they would face their cross-town rivals, the Whiteland Warriors. The other side of the bracket showed the Columbus North Bulldogs vs the highly talented Columbus East Olympians.
Game 1: East Central
Franklin came out blazing hot Tuesday night, as they could do no wrong. Franklin controlled the whole game as they won 47-29. Omari Thomas led the scorers with 18 points and shot an outstanding 67% from the field.
Another crucial player in the game was co-captain senior guard Jaxson Doddridge. He had 11 points and shot 83% from the field.
When Thomas was asked about his performance, Thomas said ¨Sticking to our gameplan, taking the shots that were there and playing hard¨ is what led to the success Tuesday Night.
Whiteland Breakdown
Franklin has played Whiteland twice this year.
This first time they played, Franklin had a great start to the game, but after a turnover-heavy second quarter and getting outscored 10 to 25 in the second quarter, Franklin was unable to come back.
The second time they played this season, Franklin was down by 20 points during a point of the game, but battled back and made it a close game, but eventually took the loss.
The common denominator in both games is 12 turnovers for Franklin. Senior Forward Trent Hall said ¨We deserved to lose both games, but it gives us a chance to learn and get better.¨
Franklin is looking for the (third time’s the charm) luck as the two meet up on March 6th at 7:30 PM at Columbus North. When asked what´s different between this game and the previous games against Whiteland. Hall said ¨We have bonded as a team, we love being around each other, we are like brothers, we didn´t have that earlier this year.¨ He also said ¨This is our last game together. I love being out there with my guys, and I know that´s coming to an end. We are all trying to cherish it.¨
The atmosphere will be rocking the tale as old as time. Franklin vs Whiteland will be on the hardwood on March 6th. Co-captain senior guard Jaxson Doddridge said ¨We have to play into the atmosphere, we have to have lots of energy.¨
Game 2: Whiteland
Senior Trent Hall was on fire to start the game, scoring the first 5 points for the Grizzly Cubs on 2 shot attempts. Whitelands Peyton Williams gave Whiteland a boost the whole game, but especially during the first quarter. Whiteland led 19 to 13 after the first quarter. Franklin made runs in the game, but Whiteland would come right back and extend their lead despite a great effort from Franklin; they fell short, the final score was 58 to 50.
Season Recap
The Franklin Community Grizzly Cubs finished their season 12-13, one game below .500. This team had their ups and downs, including a sectional win this year. Thank you, seniors, for giving your time and dedication to this team and to play for this community. Franklin has a promising future for next year; the team will be led by senior guard Drew Wertz.
