The final score Saturday showing New Franklin defeating Atlanta 55-42 was no indication of how tight this game actually was. In a game that saw the lead change hands with almost every possession of the ball, it was no surprise to see the score knotted at 12 at the end of the first quarter, and New Franklin clinging to a 25-24 lead at the half.


With Atlanta’s big man, Roman Phillips, sitting out most of the third quarter before fouling out in the middle of the fourth, life became much easier for the Bulldogs. New Franklin outscored the Hornets 30-18 in the second half led by Tyson Dowell in the third quarter and perfect free-throw shooting by Tanner Bishop down the stretch in the fourth quarter.


“Offensively, we started hitting some shots and getting to the foul line. Those are easy points and the main thing was we stopped turning the ball over,” said New Franklin coach Ross Dowell.


New Franklin’s Tanner Bishop led all scorers with 15 points, hitting from three-point land once along with three field goals and six free throws. Tyson Dowell added 14 points in the winning effort while Tre Cowans knocked in 11. On the other side of the ledger, Atlanta’s Landon Gilliland pumped in 13 points and Roman Phillips contributed 11 even with sitting out with foul trouble before eventually fouling out.


“It really helped when we stopped turning the ball over and their big kid (Phillips) fouled out,” Dowell said. “That kid is long and lanky and I think he’s only a sophomore so he’ll be pretty good for them in the future.


“We need to learn how to finish games a little better but overall a good defensive performance holding them to 42. All in all, I was pretty pleased for the first game out.”


The Bulldogs jump out to a 1-0 start on the season before moving on to defend their title at the Glasgow Tournament. Sixth-seeded New Franklin will face top-seeded Slater at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2 in a rematch of last year’s tournament championship.