MEADVILLE &045; What a way to win.

Franklin County’s struggles against the press defense almost cost it the game Thursday against Crystal Springs. The Bulldogs (21-7) pulled out a 58-56 win over the Tigers, but it took some late-game heroics from the Franklin County frontline to get the win.

Forwards Marcus Tillman and Wesley Brown scored 10 of the Bulldogs’ final 11 points to hold off the Tigers’ challenge and take the win.

&uot;It feels good,&uot; Franklin County head coach Chris Jordan said. &uot;We played that bad and survived. There was a little bit of nerves.&uot;

Franklin led for nearly the entirety of the first three quarters, but Crystal Springs’ press got them back in the game in the final quarter. The Bulldogs led by as many as eight points late in the third quarter, but that lead was quickly erased.

A 10-4 Crystal Springs run, capped off by a three-point play from Trevor Floyd, tied the game at 44 with 4:32 remaining.

The Tigers’ Clarence Pendleton hit a 3-pointer to again tied the game at 47 less than a minute later. The Tigers took the lead on Jemario Martin’s basket with 2:43 to go.

There were four ties and two lead changes in fourth quarter, but when all was said and done, Tillman came up big for the Bulldogs, converting a three points play to give his team a 56-53 lead with 53.8 seconds to go and putting Franklin on top for good. He also provided a block with 16 seconds to go that all but sealed the win before Franklin’s Brown hit one of two free throws to give the Bulldogs a four-point lead and seal up the win.

&uot;I knew it was going to be a back-and-forth game,&uot; Crystal Springs coach Mark Townsend said. &uot;We missed a couple defensive assignments at the end that really hurt us.&uot;

For Franklin County, it was a good win but also one that exposed some weaknesses. The Bulldogs also struggled to beat the press against Hazlehurst recently, something that made beating the Indians tough as well.

&uot;We have to beat the pressure, it’s not about the half-court game with us. This has just started happening recently,&uot; Franklin County head coach Chris Jordan said. &uot;We’re not getting in the right spots at the right time. Of course, it may be just the two teams we’ve played have been good pressing teams.&uot;

Tillman blamed the Bulldogs’ problems on being too nervous.

&uot;We couldn’t break that press because we just went into panic mode,&uot; Tillman said. &uot;We have to relax and get down into the halfcourt game.&uot;

Tillman provided the bulk of the scoring punch for the Bulldogs, getting 23 points, 15 of them in the second half. He also had a simple suggestion for what Franklin County needs to do to keep winning.

&uot;We have to keep playing hard, going to the boards,&uot; Tillman said. &uot;And we need to shoot free throws.&uot;

Franklin County hit nine of its 20 free-throw attempts in the game and four of eight in the fourth quarter. The Tigers were eight-for-11 at the line.

Brown, playing with multiple injuries to his legs and bruised ribs, came back strong in the fourth quarter after getting his ankle retaped at the end of the third, scoring two baskets in the fourth that helped get the win.

The inside players for Franklin County got some help early in the game from guard Deandre Cameron, who hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter, his only points in the game.

The Bulldogs will likely have their work cut out for them in tonight’s semifinal matchup. Franklin County, which has relied on its strong inside play. The Bulldogs will face the winner of Collins and Tylertown, who both have strong post players.

For Crystal Springs, the problem was on offense, where the Tigers struggled to get good shots, Townsend said.

&uot;We didn’t shoot as well as we should have,&uot; Townsend said. &uot;Part of that was their defense, which was real good.&uot;

But for the Tigers, it was a good season, despite a tough loss to the Franklin County.

&uot;We probably exceeded a lot of expectations,&uot; Townsend said. &uot;Last year’s team had more talent and they didn’t make South State, so it’s been a pretty good year.&uot;