Scoring droughts played a big role in the outcomes of the two championship games of the abbreviated New Franklin Tournament as that annual event wrapped up with a couple of broadcasts heard Saturday on KMMO AM.
The afternoon of basketball ended with the New Franklin boys hammering out a 47-38 win over top-seeded and defending champion Westran. Prior to that, the Westran girls were able to claim a title for the second year in succession as they rolled past the host Bulldogs, 47-30.
Finishing With A Flourish
The boys’ championship matchup was evenly played for three and a half quarters as the two sides traded the lead back and forth. New Franklin was ahead 10-7 after one period only to see Westran score six straight points and go on top, 13-10 early in the second quarter. Then it was the Bulldogs’ turn to respond as they went on a 14-4 run to close out the half, giving themselves a 24-17 advantage at the break. Slowly but surely the Hornets soon battled their way back, slicing the deficit to one, 30-29 after three periods prior to taking a five-point lead, 37-32 with a little under five minutes left.
However, with their backs to the wall, the New Franklin defense then began to shine. Westran scored only one point the rest of the way while Caden Schlotzhauer keyed a Bulldog outburst that propelled them to the victory. Schlotzhauer had three field goals and several free throws down the stretch enabling New Franklin to enjoy a 16-1 run that closed out the contest for them as they won going away, 47-38.
Schlotzhauer ended up with a game-high 19 points while freshman Noah Hackman gave the 9-3 Bulldogs a spark midway through the proceedings by scoring 16. Meanwhile, Westran saw a seven-game winning streak come to an end as they fell to 10-3 with Cooper Harvey tallying 13 points and Cruze Haynes adding 11 on their behalf.
Early Lead Quickly Disappears
The girls title contest saw New Franklin build for themselves a 17-13 lead just past the halfway point of the second period. However, the Bulldogs suddenly went ice cold, not scoring for the next eight minutes and going without a field goal over a 10-minute span. Westran was thus on top, 21-17 at the half before owning a 31-20 advantage heading into the final period. The Hornets eventually led by as many as 18 before coasting home with a 47-30 decision.
Emma Wortmann mustered 12 points for the winners as the three victories Westran was able to hammer out this week improved their overall record to 7-6. Subsequently, New Franklin saw an eight-game winning streak snapped as they dropped to 10-2 with both of their losses coming at the hands of the Hornets. Lilly Chitwood paced the New Franklin girls with a 13-point effort
which was only half of her season’s average.
Fayette Falls Twice
In the third place contests that were moved to the old gymnasium, both Fayette teams suffered losses. First, Sturgeon defeated the Falcon boys, 44-34 as Josh Kelly tossed in 20 points and Alex Ducayne added 12 for the Bulldogs.
The girls’ third place trophy went to Community as they edged Fayette, 52-49. Payton Beamer scored 21 points and Alyiah Welch had 19 for the Trojans while Kebrea Fair ended up with 17 and Eastin Hill mustered 16 for the Falcons.
Other Scores From Saturday
Salisbury Tournament
Girls Seventh Place: Paris 58 Meadville 47
Girls Consolation: Glasgow 42 Marceline 37
Girls Third Place: Salisbury 48 Carrollton 38
Girls Championship: South Shelby 65 Cairo 62 2OT
Boys Seventh Place: Marceline 41 Paris 40
Boys Consolation: Carrollton 47 Meadville 37
Boys Third Place: Glasgow 62 South Shelby 43
Boys Championship: Salisbury 55 Cairo 51
Girls
Harrisburg 59 Moberly 48
Boys
Harrisburg 77 Moberly 54
Lincoln 59 Tipton 55
Kingsville 59 Halfway 55 (in Bolivar)