COLUMBUS, Ohio -- If you watched Big Ten football this past season, you are familiar with the anomaly of Nebraska football. Despite finishing 3-9, the Cornhuskers had a +63 point difference from their opponents. Franklin Heights is much like Nebraska, as the Falcons are 3-12, with their wins coming from a combined 64 point difference.

Franklin Heights (3-12, 1-8) notched win No. 3, and their most impressive of the year, when they held home court and knocked off OCC-Capital division foe Canal Winchester (6-8, 4-5) on Tuesday, 69-57.

The Falcons had a total team effort in the win, as eight different players scored. Franklin Heights showed great togetherness in the win, combining for 12 assists, which is nearly triple what Canal Winchester had in the game. Franklin Heights led for the majority of the game, using a big 7-0 run to start the second half to take a 36-30 lead.

Franklin Heights took a 45-40 lead into the final frame but would not go without a furious rally from Canal Winchester. The Indians, led nearly entirely by the guard duo of senior Derrick James and sophomore Cortez Freeman, powered a rally to trim the deficit to 51-50 midway through the fourth quarter.

In stepped Franklin Heights senior Maurice Bozman. Knocking down back to back clutch threes from the left wing, Bozman extended the Falcon lead to 57-50, as Franklin Heights knocked down clutch free throws and cruised to a huge victory. 

For the Falcons, this is their first OCC-Capital win of the year and an important one for their confidence going forward. Franklin Heights has been very good at home, as they lost their first matchup at Canal by 29 points. On Tuesday, senior Mohamed Ibrahim was the hot hand, knocking down four threes and finishing with a game-high 22 points. 

Ibrahim was joined in double figures by three other players, as junior guard Abdul Fofana had one of his best games of the year, going toe-to-toe with James and finishing with 14 points. Bozman added 11 on three triples, none bigger than his back to back bombs in the fourth quarter.

The MVP for the Falcons was junior guard Billy Berry, who commanded the glass and finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Berry's playmaking ability is vitally important for this team, as he created a handful of second chance opportunities last night, while leading all players in rebounds and assists.

Sophomores Thaddeus Gambrell and Justin Lovejoy, along with junior Elijah Shinaba, added valuable production and helped the Falcons to keep a strong three-man rotation in the game.

The last seven days have been good to the Falcons, as Franklin Heights knocked off district rival Grove City last Tuesday by a score of 67-46. The Falcons have proven that they can knock off quality teams this season and could drastically improve their seeding in the district tournament with the upcoming stretch of games against Big Walnut, Dublin Scioto and Worthington Kilbourne. 

For Canal Winchester, James and Freeman combined for 44 of the team's 57 points. James and Freeman took 36 of the Indians' 48 shot attempts on Tuesday, converting on 15 of those. Freeman was on fire to begin the game, making his first four shots, but cooled off as the game progressed. James was dynamite in the mid-range area and had several impressive passes, but the Indians just could not sustain a run on Tuesday.

After back to back wins, Canal Winchester loses its first game since Jan. 14. The Indians will be immediately challenged on Wednesday when they host Pickerington North for the first of six-straight home games.

Sitting at 6-8, this is the perfect opportunity for Canal Winchester to turn their season around.

Mohamed Ibrahim (6'5 SF / Franklin Heights / 2022): MoIbby is a bucket. The 6-foot-5 senior put together a complete scoring masterclass on Tuesday, showing the upside that we've seen in him ever since laying eyes on him at the Westside Shooting Camp last June. Ibrahim has great length and legitimate guard skills which make him a very unique cover. He can take advantage of smaller guards with his size, but has the quickness and foot speed to blow by slower bigs, which he did often on Tuesday. Ibrahim was deadly from the three-point line, knocking down four of his eight attempts, but more importantly, his ability to stretch the floor opened up opportunities for others and neutralized Canal's size on the interior. You won't find many wings with his length and shot creation ability, as Ibrahim has natural handling coordination and a beautiful jump shot that he can hit off movement and off the bounce equally as well. This is a kid that will blossom in college when he is surrounded with better players, as he is a solid strength and conditioning program away from being a stud. If he adds strength to his lengthy frame, Ibrahim will be an even bigger offensive force than he is already. 

Billy Berry (6'1 SG / Franklin Heights  / 2023): Berry is a ball player. The junior plays a complete game, as he will do anything to win and makes a major two way impact. No player in Tuesday's game had greater overall impact on winning than Berry. His eight rebounds, half of which on the offensive glass, helped Franklin Heights gain an advantage on the boards which was crucial in the win. Aside from that, Berry is a very instinctive passer that created several high percentage scoring opportunities for his teammates. You won't find many tougher kids anywhere in the area than Berry, as he competes hard and refuses to be intimidated. This is a player that we recommend for local colleges in next year's recruiting cycle. He will help you win games and will continue to get better.

Abdul Fofana (6'1 hybrid guard / Franklin Heights / 2022): Fofana has great size, great speed and the natural ability to be one of the better guards in his class. On Tuesday, he put it all together in a great matchup against James. Fofana played a controlled game and was very efficient, making his first four shots and finishing with 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting. The junior does a good job of getting to his spots in the mid-range area and in, as he can finish with leathery touch at the rim. We love Fofana's confidence, as he played hard defense all night long and did not back down from Canal's star studded backcourt. 

Maurice Bozman (5'8 SG / Franklin Heights / 2022): Bozman is a kid that you can't help but root for. His energy and infectious personality rub off in a good way on his teammates, as he does not lack for confidence, which helps Franklin Heights play at a higher level. Pointing to his wrist multiple times after his two big threes in the fourth quarter, Bozman was telling everyone in the crowd that it was "Reecie Time" as he stepped up in a major way. Bozman did his best job on the defensive perimeter, however, as he switched onto Freeman and made the sophomore work for his points after a hot start to the game. Bozman competes at a high level and can really add offensive value to this team when his corner threes are falling. 

Derrick James (5'10 PG / Canal Winchester / 2022): The senior James finds himself in a unique situation as a primary shot creator at Canal. After three years at St. Charles where he was more of a facilitator and true point guard, James has been forced to step into more of a scoring role and he has handled the load thus far. The senior scored 22 points on 15 shots, excelling in the mid-range with his pull up jumper, while living at the free throw line, knocking down all eight attempts. When it comes to toughness and playmaking ability, James is as good as they come among unsigned guards in Central Ohio, as we highly recommend him to college programs still needing a high quality lead guard. James holds two Division II offers from Cedarville and Concord, with a handful of programs showing him strong interest. We think he has the skill set and feel for the game to immediately enter a college program and be a top playmaker.

Cortez Freeman (6'1 SG / Canal Winchester / 2024): Freeman is a volume scorer that is as good as any player we've seen in his class at creating offense for himself. If you need Freeman to create a shot, he can do so and that was the case on Tuesday. Finishing with 22 points on 21 shots, Freeman wasn't the most efficient but still showed flashes of the big upside he has in the backcourt. The sophomore knocked down two threes and did a great job finishing at the rim. Freeman and James combined for eight steals and were a terror on the defensive perimeter. We are intrigued with Freeman's size and speed, as he is a very difficult guy to match up with one on one. As he gets stronger and adds more layers to his skill set, look for Freeman to put up some major numbers as an upperclassman.