Franklinton-St. Pauls Game Report

St. Pauls and Franklinton did battle Friday at the Southeast Raleigh Thanksgiving showcase with the Bulldogs winning 54-39. Thanks to a balanced offensive attack and great defense, the team based out of Robeson County will have a great chance to make a deep playoff run again this season. Prep Girls Hoops NC takes a look at the top performers from this contest. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="217743" first="Taliya" last="Council"] (St. Pauls 2022 forward, NC A&amp;T signee)</strong> North Carolina A&amp;T signee [player_tooltip player_id="217743" first="Taliya" last="Council"] set the tone in several ways finishing with 10 points and a team-high 14 rebounds. Although she didn’t register a block on the stat sheet, Council found a way to alter shots in the paint and get easy looks in transition for her team to pull away in the second half. Alongside twin sister and fellow A&amp;T signee [player_tooltip player_id="217744" first="Tamyra" last="Council"] and 2023 standout Au’Nyah Teague, the Bulldogs front court will be one of the best in the state this year. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="275892" first="Jakieya" last="Thompson"] (St. Pauls 2023 guard)</strong> St. Pauls also has a great back court led by point guard [player_tooltip player_id="275892" first="Jakieya" last="Thompson"] who led the way with 14 points for the Bulldogs. The junior guard is a true floor general who rarely turns the ball over and makes great decisions. Thompson can score in a number of different ways whether its from the outside or in the paint. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="285940" first="Mikayla" last="Taborn"] (Franklinton 2024 forward)</strong> Franklinton has a pair of sophomore prospects that coaches should be on the lookout for this season starting with forward [player_tooltip player_id="285940" first="Mikayla" last="Taborn"]. She finished with 10 points in this game doing most of her damage in the paint. Taborn has an array of moves and counters at her disposal and put that on full display. She's in line for a breakout year for the Red Rams this season. <strong>Kayla Wilkins (Franklinton 2024 guard)</strong> The other sophomore standout for the Red Rams is Kayla Wilkins and despite being in foul trouble most of the game, she found a way to make an impact. She's a great outside shooter and primary ball handler for her team. Despite being pressure by great Bulldog defense, she found a way to break their press a few times finding some easy looks for her teammates.