Franklin drops 24 in Cleburne's season-opening win over Byron Nelson

A suffocating defense and guard Alyssa Franklin's 24 points highlighted Cleburne's 59-42 win over Byron Nelson to open the 2026-27 season Friday night at Jeff D. Cody Arena.The Lady Jackets remain at home for another 6A matchup with Aledo next Tuesday at 7 p.m.Cleburne wasted no time finding its groove that made the Lady Jackets so successful last year as their full-court press overwhelmed the Lady Bobcats into multiple turnovers and fastbreak points.Making her return from a torn ACL injury a year ago, G/F Aubrey Chumley's two quick baskets in the paint kickstarted a 9-0 run before Byron Nelson called a timeout.By the midway point of the opening period, the Lady Jackets led 12-2. The pace slowed down for the remainder of the quarter, but a pair of Franklin 3-pointers extended Cleburne's lead to 20-8 through eight minutes. Franklin hit four shots from beyond the arc in the quarter.The Lady Bobcats started to settle in with a few makes from 3-point range and fouls called on the Lady Jackets, allowing them to cut the Cleburne lead to 11. That was the closest Byron Nelson got to the Lady Jackets, as wins on the defensive side during individual matchups led to steals and fastbreak points.Six different Lady Jackets scored in the second quarter.F Eden Wesson's post layup and a quick response by Byron Nelson before the buzzer left the score at 36-20 Cleburne.A quick second half saw the Lady Bobcats go cold from the perimeter and contributions from Cleburne's bench, including G Emma Simmons with a 3-pointer.With a comfortable lead in the fourth, G Arajai Burks topped off Cleburne's win with five points.Burks was the second-highest scorer for the team with nine, followed by G Izzy Guadamuz with six and Simmons with five.