There was no panic in the New Franklin huddle when six-seed Smithton scored six in a row to pull within a point of the top-seeded Bulldogs with one quarter remaining in the district final.

The Bulldogs just kept doing the things that have brought them success all season.

“We just had to make sure that we were patient on offense and getting the best shot available to us and make sure we’re getting stops on the defensive end,” New Franklin coach Ross Dobson said.

The Bulldogs closed the game with an 18-5 run and claimed a second straight district title with a 59-45 win over district host Smithton.

The Tigers (16-10) didn’t play like a six-seed during the district tournament, knocking off Cole Camp (20-6) and Slater (22-3) to reach the final.

“They brought momentum in, they played really well over the last two games, playing as a team,” New Franklin senior Gavin Bishop said.

Bishop had the Bulldogs’ only three field goals of the fourth quarter and scored 11 of his 22 points over the final eight minutes.

“We were rebounding better at the end, getting better looks and finishing down low,” he said.

The two teams went back and forth in the first quarter, with Smithton taking a 16-12 lead.

Tre Cowans scored six of the first eight points for New Franklin.

“We didn’t know how they were going to guard our screen and roll stuff, so we were patient on offense and he was able to get some easy shots,” Dobson said.

The Bulldogs finished the first quarter with a sequence of big plays. Bishop knocked down a 3-pointer, Tyler Perkins forced a turnover, and then Bishop knocked down a pair of free throws to give New Franklin the lead for good.

The run continued in the second quarter as the Bulldogs scored 16 in a row to lead by a dozen. The Tigers came back with nine straight before Perkins hit a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to extend the lead to six.

“They played really well all week long and we knew if we wanted to have a victory tonight, we had to play well all four periods,” Dobson said.

Perkins scored the first five points of the third quarter and the Bulldogs led by as many as seven before Smithton came back within a point at 39-38.

New Franklin scored 13 of its final 15 points from the free-throw line.

“This time of year, we just have to worry about what we do best,” Dobson said. “And just focus on putting the ball in the hoop and trying to hold them from scoring.”

Perkins finished with 21 points, Cowans scored 10, and Tysen Dowell made four free throws in the fourth quarter.

Outside of the scoring, the Bulldogs made winning plays all night long, fighting for loose balls, deflecting passes, and moving the ball to open shooters.

“It was a good team effort top to bottom tonight,” Dobson said.

“(Crayton) Gallatin had a breakaway layup there in the first half, and (Caleb) Hull came in when Jackson (Dorson) was in foul trouble and he played defense exceptionally well.”