Gavin Bishop

After leading by as many as 15 in the first half and trailing by four in the third quarter, New Franklin outscored Salisbury 16-9 in the fourth quarter to pull away down the stretch for a 66-55 win in the championship game of the Sturgeon Tournament on Saturday.

The Bulldogs have come away with the championship trophy in all three tournaments this season.

Tre Cowans

“It means a lot, it hasn’t been done in a very long time for us,” said Tre Cowans, who had nine points for the Bulldogs.

“We just try not to lose.”

New Franklin has successfully avoided a loss this year, improving to 17-0 with the three wins at Sturgeon.

The Bulldogs had a 40-32 lead at halftime but went almost four and a half minutes without scoring during a 10-0 run by Salisbury to start the second half. Cowans drew a foul and made two free throws to end the run and reduce the lead to two points.

Cowans said the key was to “just keep your cool and keep going.”

Gavin Bishop kept it going with a 3-point play and a pair of free throws, and Tyler Perkins made it a 10-0 run with his 3-pointer.

“I thought our seniors did a really good job taking care of the ball and taking opportunities in transition, getting downhill, drawing fouls and getting to the line,” New Franklin coach Ross Dobson said.

“I talked to Gavin, in situations like that, he and Tyler and our seniors need to be able to break the pace of things and either get to the free-throw line or get an easy bucket.”

Bishop had a steal and scored in the fourth quarter to put New Franklin ahead 57-48 and the Bulldogs scored their last nine points from the foul line.

Bishop had 14 points as New Franklin opened up a 31-16 lead in the second quarter. He finished with 18 in the first half and 29 for the game.

Perkins had six points in the fourth quarter and finished with 18.

Jackson Dorson made four free throws in the fourth quarter. Tysen Dowell and Caleb Hull each had a 3-pointer.

“I’m proud that these young men were able to stay focused through some tough stretches,” Dobson said. “It feels good to win the Sturgeon Tournament.”

New Franklin 63, Westran 46

After a slow start, New Franklin found its rhythm in a 63-46 win over Westran in the semifinal round.

The Hornets scored 19 points in the opening quarter, but just 27 over the last three.

“Another good defensive effort against a very good Westran team,” coach Ross Dobson said. “The boys stayed focused on their own role and executed well down the stretch.”

Gavin Bishop led the Bulldogs with 24 points and Tyler Perkins had 14.

New Franklin outscored Westran 20-9 in the second quarter to take a 36-28 lead into halftime. The Hornets had just 18 points in the second half as New Franklin continued to pull away.

Tysen Dowell had nine points, Tre Cowans scored eight, and Crayton Gallatin finished with six.

New Franklin 77, New Bloomfield 20

Tre Cowans scored a career-high 22 points in New Franklin’s 77-20 win over New Bloomfield in the opening round of the Sturgeon Tournament.

The Bulldogs took an 18-5 lead after one quarter and only got better from there. New Franklin scored 55 points over the next two quarters to put the game out of reach.

“It is always a good feeling when we come out and do our job,” coach Ross Dobson said.

“We can not rely on anybody else doing our jobs for us and we have to earn everything the rest of the year.  Nobody will give us games or trophies, we will have to work to win every possession on offense and defense.”

Tyler Perkins had 11 points and Tysen Dowell finished with 10. Gavin Bishop and Crayton Gallatin each had eight and Blake Evans scored six.