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(More photos from the game follow the story below.)

The Virginia HoopFest Showcase Series was held on Saturday, Dec. 28, at the Peggy H. Wilkins Gymnasium at Franklin High School. This one-day basketball showcase featured teams from Essex, Surry and Northampton counties, along with Veritas Collegiate Academy, Norfolk Collegiate School and Indian River and Franklin High schools.

For this event, the Broncos found themselves pitted against the Indian River Indians. Early in the first quarter, the score was tied 5-5. After that point, the Indians went on to claim a 21-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. 

It did not get much better for the Broncos in the second quarter, as the Indians went to the locker room up 34-18 at the end of the first half. 

Franklin came closer in the second half, but when the final horn sounded, the Broncos lost with a final score of 56-47. 

Franklin had only one scorer in double figures, and that was senior Kamarre Hicks with 16 points.

Broncos Head Coach Robby Cutchins remarked after the game, “Great effort by these young men against a very good (Indian River) basketball team and a (Class 5) school. We’re talking about another massive program coming from Chesapeake. But we’re doing everything we can to try to make these kids better before the calendar turns over. 

“I was really proud of the way we fought, and also we were down 20 points I think at the end of the third quarter,” he continued. “In the fourth quarter we got it down to eight points. They’ve got a lot of fight, regardless of being outmanned.”

Cutchins said he thinks his players are getting mentally stronger every game.

“We’re getting better as a basketball team, and I think it’s going to pay off when we hit (the) district (schedule) right in the thick of it in January.”

Franklin (2-7) was slated to visit Tri-Rivers District foe Windsor High School on Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 8.