WHITELAND — As the gym slowly emptied, Franklin coach Mike Armstrong stood by his bench and breathed a sigh of relief, able to relax for the first time in 90 minutes.

“Survive and advance,” he said. “That’s the name of the game come tournament time.”

The Class 4A No. 8 Grizzly Cubs came into their sectional opener against Shelbyville as overwhelming favorites, having beaten the Golden Bears by 28 in December. But it took some last-minute stops to hold on for a 37-32 win. Franklin will take on Columbus North in the sectional semifinals Friday night.

Statewide scores, schedule: Indiana high school girls basketball sectionals

Franklin (21-3) averages 60 points per game on the season, but it was evident from the opening tip Shelbyville’s mission was to limit the Grizzly Cubs to as few possessions as possible. Shelbyville (15-8) coach Becca Hoefler said the goal was to hold the ball for as long as a minute before looking for a lane to attack.

Shelbyville held Franklin to a season-low 37 points — the fewest points the Grizzly Cubs have scored in their past 45 games, dating back to the third game of last season against Hamilton Southeastern. Unfortunately for Shelbyville, despite 19 points from senior Ava Wilson, they couldn’t score enough to make the defensive effort stand up.

Franklin led 12-5 after the opening period, but managed just four points in the second quarter and led 16-12 at the half. Shelbyville forced seven turnovers in the second quarter alone. The Golden Bears kept pace in the third quarter, trailing by just three entering the fourth. They started the fourth on a 4-0 run, as Wilson gave the team its first lead at 26-25 with less than 6 minutes to play. When Franklin’s Lauren Klem picked up her fourth foul early in the fourth — she scored a team-high 9 points, alongside Emma Sappenfield — Hoefler saw the opportunity for her team to strike.

“When she had four fouls, I thought, ‘Here we go. Let’s get her that fifth and get her out,’” Hoefler said of Klem. "They’re a different team without her. She puts that pressure on the ball. She doesn’t get tired.”

Armstrong took a gamble and kept Klem on the floor. She avoided a fifth foul, and Franklin made several key plays down the stretch. Scarlett Kimbrell hit a 3-pointer to give Franklin a 30-28 lead, and hit a putback off her own miss with 1:27 to go gave her team a 34-30 lead. Franklin forced a Shelbyville turnover with 31 seconds to go to halt any hopes of a miracle finish.

Franklin, which has been known over the past several seasons for its prolific outside shooting, made just two 3-pointers on the night, and committed 11 turnovers. But it made up for the uncharacteristically uneven offensive night with strong defense, forcing 18 turnovers.

When Plan A doesn’t work — running up and down the floor — Franklin proved it can win with a Plan B.

“We lost the lead a couple of times in the second half. We didn’t panic. We came right back and got a basket,” Armstrong said. “We try to set up scenarios in practice for end of games. It comes down to executing what you run. We ran a couple plays late where we executed.”

It was an eerily similar scenario as the one that presented itself last season for Franklin, when it took several consecutive late stops in the sectional opener against Columbus North to hold on for a 48-45  win— a Bull Dogs team that Franklin had beaten by 37 in the regular season.

Those two teams will meet again Friday, as Franklin looks to continue its quest for a fourth straight sectional title.

It remains to be seen whether Columbus North will let Franklin play its preferred style, or whether it will figure out a way to keep the sectional favorites off their game. Either way, Franklin showed on Tuesday night that it can make the most of what the opposition gives them.

“You have to stay true to yourself and who you are. I told them after the game that everybody is going to see this. But not every team will play the way Shelbyville plays,” Armstrong said. “We can win in more than one way.”

Franklin 37, Shelbyville 32

Franklin 12 4 9 12 —37

Shelbyville 5 7 10 10 — 32

Franklin (21-3): Lauren Klem 9, Emma Sappenfield 9, Aubrey Runyon 6, Scarlett Kimbrell 5, Brooklyn York 5, Erica Buening 3.

Shelbyville (15-8): Ava Wilson 19, Ellie Keller 4, Ella Johnson 4, Ellie Simpson 2, Hannah Baker 2.

3-pointers: Franklin 2 (Kimbrell, Klem) Shelbyville 2 (Wilson)

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA girls basketball sectionals: Franklin beats Shelbyville