Wenonah’s Samarian Franklin was quite generous with the ball early, politely handing it back to the opponent time and again, but the senior guard tightened up in the second half and helped rally the third-ranked Dragons to a 55-50 victory over No. 10 Jacksonville in Friday’s Class 5A Northeast Regional semifinal at Jacksonville State’s Pete Mathews Coliseum.

“I had to calm myself down because I was just too excited,” Franklin said. “I had to calm my nerves because when I get rattled, my team gets rattled. I’m a leader and had to make the right plays at the right time and protect the ball better.”