ATTLEBORO, Mass. — Wyatt Herndon fired a corner 3-pointer in front of Franklin’s student section, watched it swish through the net and then turned to flex for his friends who had made the trip.
The decisive shot with less than a minute remaining stamped No. 2 Franklin’s 58-53 road victory over No. 7 Attleboro on Friday night as the Panthers cemented their place atop the Hockomock League and continued to show why they’re one of the state’s best, pushing their undefeated start to 18-0. Inside a raucous road environment, they found the finishing touch.
A month ago, Franklin won the first meeting against Attleboro, but it came with a bit of an asterisk; Blue Bombardiers star LaDainian Rodrigues didn’t play. The junior guard was back in Friday’s rematch, and there was belief that Attleboro would get even at full strength in its home gym. But in another meeting of the top two teams in the MIAA’s Division 1 power rankings, the Panthers left no doubt.
“I would lie to you if I said I didn’t know what the rankings were. That would be a total fib,” Franklin head coach CJ Neely said. “We’re excited. … This is the type of atmosphere we’re going to have to face this year if we want to go back to where we want to go back and do the things we want to do this year.
“I thought our guts were huge tonight. Multiple times, teams would go away with some of the runs they put together and some of the baskets they were making, but the resiliency of our guys was really impressive tonight.”
The game was back and forth all night, with Franklin (18-0, 14-0 Hockomock) and Attleboro (15-3), 12-2) trading leads. The Panthers trailed by three entering the fourth quarter, but their trademark defense was the difference as they retook the lead and didn’t look back, and they made big plays down the stretch to seal it.
Let’s dive into the standouts and takeaways.
Wyatt Herndon, Franklin
Class of 2025, 5-11 guard
The senior entered the fourth quarter scoreless, but he was the difference maker as he scored all eight of his points in the final period. It included a go-ahead 3-pointer early in the fourth before his pivotal triple late. Franklin led by three entering the final minute when he canned his shot from the corner, and the Panthers rode that to the finish line. Herndon comes off the bench for Neely, but he’s a critical piece as one of their best defenders.
“You’re surprised he has any energy at all to make some of these shots the way he defends,” Neely said. “Wyatt’s there for you when you need him, just like I expect him to be. …
“He’s like a sixth starter. He could easily start the game, he started the second half. I just like his juice off the bench. He comes in and gives us a lift every time.”
RELATED: Standouts/takeaways from Franklin's first win over Attleboro on Jan. 10
Justice Samuels, Franklin
Class of 2026, 6-4 forward
Like in the first meeting, Samuels gave Franklin a huge lift with 15 points, which included a pair of swift finishes with his left hand off of strong drives from dribble hand-offs in the third quarter. He sandwiched those buckets around a block. He was once again impactful on both ends.
Caden Sullivan, Franklin
Class of 2025, 6-0 guard
NCAA: Endicott
The Panthers star had yet another big game as he went off for a game-high 26 points. The most polished player on the court with his blend of shot-making, deft drives and playmaking, Sullivan got the fourth quarter started with a steal and fast-break layup and added a sweet drive with a behind-the-back dribble into the lane for a smooth layup. But his best may have come in the first half. Franklin came out a bit sluggish, but Sullivan canned four 3-pointers and scored 16 of his 26 in the opening 16 minutes to get the Panthers going.
“Caden’s a fearless competitor who just does that all the time,” Neely said. “Obviously other teams are keying on him, obviously they know he’s the guy for us, but he finds a way.”
Connor Houle, Attleboro
Class of 2026, 5-9 guard
Houle scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half, and made huge plays on both ends to give Attleboro a chance. When Rodrigues went to the bench with three fouls late in the third, Houle stepped up with a big sequence – a pull-up jumper, followed by getting a steal before getting fouled in transition and hitting both free throws – to give the Blue Bombardiers the lead entering the fourth. He also took two charges in the game, including one in the fourth, and made all three free throws after getting fouled taking a 3-pointer late in the game.
LaDainian Rodrigues, Attleboro
Class of 2026, 6-3 guard
Rodrigues wasted no time in making an impact after missing the first meeting, hitting a 3-pointer on Attleboro’s first possession of the game and scoring 10 points in the first quarter. He finished through contact several times, and was active defensively with a handful of steals and blocks. On back-to-back plays in the third, Rodrigues scored a layup while crashing to the floor, then found Hayden Crowley for a triple. Rodrigues finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
“I was expecting him to come out and play well, and he was on a different level to start the game,” Attleboro head coach Mark Houle said. “Everybody in the gym was like, ‘Who’s that?’ Our fans have seen him play, but he’s an outstanding athlete and player, and you can see what he can do in the open court. … He’s an exciting player for us on both ends of the court. … His energy gives us another level, and we feed off of it.”
Takeaways
1. Neely knew Attleboro would have a bit of a chip on its shoulder after how the Jan. 10 meeting went, and he was right. And while Attleboro may have felt last month’s game wasn’t a true reflection of their best, Franklin came away somewhat vindicated on Friday night, knowing they got the best of Attleboro at full strength and in their building.
“It’s something where they probably thought if they have him, they’re going to beat us,” Neely said of Rodrigues’ presence. “Luckily we were able to execute enough to beat them here when they were at full strength. It makes us feel a little better about that first one, too.”
2. Last month, defense carried Franklin to victory when the Panthers held Attleboro to nine points in the second half. Their defense wasn’t as dominant Friday, but their physicality bothered Attleboro. Franklin went on a 7-0 run to start the fourth, holding Attleboro scoreless for four minutes to get back in front – ultimately for good.
“The story of the season really is just the way we’ve been defending and keeping ourselves around,” Neely said. “It’s like, we’ve hit some offensive lulls at times and haven’t been able to put the ball in the basket, get good looks. … But we’ve talked all year about the defense being something where if we defend the whole game, you’re going to find yourself in the end being right there.
“Defense has been our calling card all year and it’s something we’re really proud of.”
3. Attleboro was certainly not happy with this loss; Houle said they couldn’t hit enough shots late, and they weren’t effective enough inside, where they were productive behind big man Raheim Orleans in last month’s meeting. But Houle thinks games like this will certainly help prepare them for the looming state tournament. He estimated there were about 1,600 fans in attendance Friday night, and knows it’s valuable to have experience in big games in electric environments.
“To be able to put our players in these situations, high energy where it’s loud in the gym and you ride that wave, you can’t simulate that in practice,” Houle said. “Our league gets us ready for these types of games. If you do well in the Hockomock League, you’re usually battle-tested for the state tournament.”
