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'I had a tough week mentally:' Jacques, Franklin boys hoop hold off Milford

tim dumas, the milford daily news
·4 min read

MILFORD – Hansy Jacques had all week to think about his “DNP.”

The Franklin junior finally took the court again on Friday – in the JV game.

But when senior Ben Harvey got into early foul trouble in the ensuing varsity contest, Jacques took advantage of the limited minutes available.

Jacques scored 16 points – nine in the third quarter to spark a decisive run – to help the Panthers secure a 63-53 victory over Milford in front of a vocal crowd.

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“I had a tough week mentally; it was in my head all week not playing as much,” said Jacques, who did not play in Tuesday’s win over Attleboro. "Coach (C.J. Neely) told me during practice all week to be ready to play. I just took that to heart. When I got into the game, I was ready to go.”

Franklin High School junior Hansy Jacques reacts after scoring against Milford, Feb. 17, 2023.
Franklin High School junior Hansy Jacques reacts after scoring against Milford, Feb. 17, 2023.

Franklin senior Sean O’Leary, held to just one field goal over the first three quarters, ended up with a game-high 17 points, 12 in the final period. He converted a three-point play and had a key block at the other end over the final minutes to keep the Panthers ahead.

“They had a great environment tonight,” O’Leary said. “They came out hard. We just had to match their energy. We played well in the fourth quarter and that’s all that matters.”

Franklin High School junior Sean O'Leary heads to the basket against Milford, Feb. 17, 2023.
Franklin High School junior Sean O'Leary heads to the basket against Milford, Feb. 17, 2023.

Milford led 16-11 early and trailed by 15 early in the fourth quarter before pulling within six late in the game.

“Franklin’s one of the best teams in the state for a reason. They come at you in waves,” said interim Milford head coach Chris Trafeconte. “Basketball’s a game of runs – they made the bigger run tonight. But I’m proud of our guys for fighting and competing. We’ll learn from competing against one of the best teams in the state.”

What it means

Milford High School sophomore Luca Testa shoots against Franklin senior Justin Allen, Feb. 17, 2023.
Milford High School sophomore Luca Testa shoots against Franklin senior Justin Allen, Feb. 17, 2023.

Franklin improves to 17-1 and matches Catholic Memorial (17-2) and Lynn English (17-0) for the second-most wins in Division 1 behind Lawrence (19-1). The Panthers have lost just four regular season games over the past two seasons.

Milford falls to 9-11 and had won five games in a row before falling to Taunton on Tuesday. The Scarlet Hawks lost to Franklin, 66-46, on Jan. 27.

Key plays

Milford trailed just 49-42 early in the fourth quarter when Jacques earned a steal and made two free throws to stall the rally. Jacques also hit a 3-pointer and converted a layup on consecutive possessions in the third quarter to help the Panthers outscored the Scarlet Hawks 18-11 in the period.

Franklin High School junior Hansy Jacques scores off the glass against Milford, Feb. 17, 2023.
Franklin High School junior Hansy Jacques scores off the glass against Milford, Feb. 17, 2023.

“He was ready to go,” Neely said. “I was real happy for him; I know he was getting frustrated.”

By the numbers

0: Number of seniors in Milford’s starting lineup.

“It’s a young group,” Trafeconte said. “I’m just proud of this group for competing. They’ve just continued to battle.”

8: Number of consecutive wins for Franklin.

3: Double-digit scorers for Milford: Andrew Rivera, 13; Wyatt Zagami, 11; and Luca Testa, 10.

Unsung heroes

Zagami: The senior scored eight points in the final quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers.

Milford High School senior Wyatt Zagami goes up over Franklin senior Justin Allen, Feb. 17, 2023.
Milford High School senior Wyatt Zagami goes up over Franklin senior Justin Allen, Feb. 17, 2023.

Geino Scaringello: The Franklin senior drilled three 3-pointers and finished with 10 points.

They said it

“I give them a ton of credit – they made it hard on us the whole night,” Neely said of Milford. “We put ourselves in a hole early, but we were able to settle down against the pressure. I was impressed with their performance and I thought our guys settled in and it was good for our guys to get a good test in a place like this.”

What’s next?

Franklin hosts Xaverian on Thursday. The Panthers defeated the Hawks, 62-56, at home on Dec. 30.

Milford hosts the Scarlet Hawks Holiday Invitational on Monday (7 p.m.) against Hampden Charter West. The Scarlet Hawks need to win two games, and thus the tournament, to clinch a spot in the post-season. (MIAA playoff pairings will be announced on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 1 p.m.) Wellesley and Lexington are also in the Scarlet Hawks Invitational.

Milford High School sophomore Andrew Rivera sets up a play against Franklin, Feb. 17, 2023.
Milford High School sophomore Andrew Rivera sets up a play against Franklin, Feb. 17, 2023.

Milford won just two games a year ago; reaching the MIAA tournament would be quite an accomplishment.

“For us it’s easy: we’ve got to win the (the Scarlet Hawks) tournament; we have to go 2-0 to go to the big one,” Trafeconte said. "That’d be a great accomplishment for this group. Our goal is simple and I really hope these kids get it done because they deserve it.”

Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached attdumas@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @TimDumas.

This article originally appeared on The Milford Daily News: Behind 16 points from Jacques, Franklin boys' basketball holds off Milford