Staff report
ARGYLE — The Gainesville Leopards welcomed back a key player to the mix Friday when senior DeShawn Franklin returned to the lineup after missing the entire season up to this point with a knee injury sustained during football.
But the return of Franklin still could not help Gainesville get over the hump against District 9-3A foe Argyle as the Leopards fell 57-43.
While Franklin did return, he was unable to score any points and finished with four rebounds.
Gainesville (14-13, 3-4 district) trailed just 19-15 after the first quarter, but the Leopards were stifled in the second, scoring just seven points. Argyle led 30-22 at halftime.
In the second half, Gainesville outscored its opponent 14-12 in the third quarter to cut the lead to six (42-36) heading into the fourth. But, another seven-point effort in the fourth quarter doomed the Leopards hopes of a comeback as Argyle scored 15 points in the frame.
For Gainesville, Kenyon Morgan led the team with 11 points. Harold Wills added 9 points and 11 rebounds and Kielyn Lewis and Denzel Johnson each scored 5 points.
Patrick Westbrook finished with 6 rebounds in the game while David Moore had 4 and Cody Welch finished with 3 assists.
The Gainesville junior varsity also took on Argyle, but lost 53-38, dropping the Leopards JV to 9-12 on the season.
Next action for the Leopards will be Tuesday when Gainesville hosts Prosper at the GHS gym.
