The New Franklin girls capped off an outstanding week at the Glasgow Tournament with a 52-44 win over top-seeded Cairo for the third-place trophy Saturday afternoon. It marked the second upset for the sixth-seeded Lady Bulldogs after they took down third-seeded Westran 49-31 in the tournament opener.

New Franklin fell 60-43 to eventual tournament champions Harrisburg, the second seed, in the semifinals, before regrouping for Saturday’s win.

“I’m really proud of the girls,” said New Franklin coach Parker Gross. “We didn’t feel like we were the sixth seed. There are a lot of great teams in the tournament, and it’s one of the tougher draws where we play the third seed. I know last night didn’t go the way we wanted to. But on a quick turnaround, that was awesome. I couldn’t be more proud of the effort and the way we ended up executing some things the right way to get a couple of really awesome wins.”

Cairo had won the tournament the past four years and seven out of the last eight seasons. The Lady Bearcats have built a program that has finished runner-up in the Class 1 state tournament two years running. The team lost two All-State player to graduation, but their perennially strong program earned them the top seed in the Tournament again this year.

Glasgow hosts one of the great early-season tournaments in the state, boasting a bevy of great teams from the area. Not a single top seed reached the finals of either bracket this season, underscoring how tight the competition has become in this area.

With the first and sixth seeds battling it out for third place on Saturday, the two teams were neck and neck all the way through. Gross knew his team had to be the aggressor early on. And that strategy worked, as senior Lily Chitwood scored a layup off the tip just three seconds into the game.

“I thought the attack mentality was what we needed. We lacked it in some moments, but we found ways to pick it back up,” Gross said.”

Cairo looked to finish the first quarter with a lead thanks to a tight press and stingy defense, until Chitwood sank a triple with 22 seconds left to put her team in front 14-12 after eight minutes. But the Lady Bearcats made a seven-point turnaround in the second quarter, seizing a 28-23 at halftime.

“Most of the time, they had a little more size than we did,” Gross said. “I thought we did a good job, most of the time, of limiting what they were getting off that. They got some good looks. And they’ve got a couple of really good players. They kept finding ways to sneak in a score. It went back and forth, and it was a fun game to play.”

After trailing by as much as eight early in the second half, New Franklin retook the lead in the final minute of the third quarter. The Bulldogs stayed in front at the buzzer thanks to a blocked shot by Belle Chitwood on Cairo’s final possession.

The lead changed four times in the final period until New Franklin built a six-point lead with a bucket and a bonus free throw by senior Canna Jennings with 2:40 left to play. The Bulldogs’ defense came up big in the final minutes. Senior forward Skylar Shaw blocked a Cairo shot with 1:25 left, and New Franklin forced a turnover with about a minute remaining, making Cairo resort to fouling. Lily Chitwood sank all six free throws over the final 48 seconds to secure the win.

“That was huge,” Gross said about those clutch free throws. “She is the epitome of the ball player you want on your team. She works hard, and to be able to count on her in so much of what we do is huge. She’s the leader of the team in the way she goes about everything she does. She does it the right way. She puts the work in to be in that position and get it done.”

Lily Chitwood finished with a game-high 27 points, along with six rebounds, four steals, and four assists. Jennings posted eight points with two boards, two steals, and a block.

Shaw had a career night in the paint, scoring six points and pulling down 10 rebounds with a game-high four blocks and two steals.

“I thought Skyler Shaw and Canna Jennings had an awesome week,” Gross said. “What they gave us, at the defensive end and the offensive end, was what we needed this week.”

Senior Lydia Burnett added six rebounds and four assists to go along with two points. Callie Chitwood added five points and an assist.

“Callie had a couple of big shots for us. Lydia Burnett didn’t score a ton tonight, but she did some good things for us and had some big moments,” Gross said.

For Cairo, Olivia Cross led the Bearcats with 13 points, followed by Chloe Brumley with 10.

Gross dished out high praise for his team after winning two games at such a stacked tournament. “It says a lot about how hard the girls have worked early on in the season. And it shows we’re playing team basketball. Because you have to play team basketball to beat the teams we’ve faced so far. It’s super encouraging. It says a lot about our group and where we can go. But we have to work like that all the time.”

The Bulldogs (4-1) didn’t get much rest before traveling to Fayette on Tuesday after the Advertiser went to press. On Friday, they play their only home game of the fall semester against Madison (0-2).

New Franklin then travels to Slater on Dec. 16 and faces Meadville in the 12 Courts of Christmas at HyVee Arena in Kansas City on Dec. 19 to close out 2025. The Bulldogs open the new year at their own tournament, which starts Jan. 5.