The New Franklin boys shook off some early rust to open their own tournament with a convincing 70-44 win over sixth-seeded Wellsville on Wednesday.

The tournament, now in its 96th incarnation, was condensed into three nights, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, due to the conditions of roadways in the aftermath of the previous Sunday’s winter storm.

The absence from the court was noticeable to start the game as the third-seeded Bulldogs struggled under the basket.

“I think it was pretty sloppy. You can tell we’ve been out of school for three or four weeks,” said New Franklin coach Jim Schlotzhauer.

Wellsville has an athletic back line to its zone defense, making it difficult for the Bulldogs to score under the basket. “They were just sitting back in a 2-3 zone. We just weren’t getting much at the rim,” Schlotzhauer said.

Eventually, New Franklin found a way to score, opening the game with a 10-2 run over five minutes to finish the opening quarter with a 12-6 lead. Most of New Franklin’s first-half points came from the 3-point arc. “If those are the shots they’re going to give us, we’ve got guys who can hit them,” Schlotzhauer said.

The Bulldogs quickly seized control in the opening minutes of the second period with 12 straight points from the 3-point line amid a 14-point run. Three of those long baskets came from freshman Jonah Bishop, who sank six threes in the second quarter. By halftime, New Franklin had the game well in control, taking a 39-12 lead into the break.

“I thought they were physical, and they played well,” Schlotzhauer said about Wellsville, which he has never before faced. “They sat back in their zone, and we struggled to make shots in the first quarter. And then after that, we got really hot from the three. Jonah Bishop played really well.”

Bishop, a freshman, scored 18 points on the night, all from the arc in the second quarter. Another freshman, Noah Hackman, led the team with 21 points. Both of New Franklin’s top scorers made their mark off the bench.

“Those guys came in and moved the ball a little more freely than the first group,” Schlotzhauer said. “That’s what it takes against a zone; just move the ball to what’s open and then score the ball.”

New Franklin’s starting five combined for 22 points, led by junior Caden Schlotzhauer with nine points.

Wellsville senior Cooper Henderson led all scorers on the night with 27 points. He sank five 3-point baskets and made all six of his free-throw attempts.

New Franklin now advances to the championship semifinals against seventh-seeded Fayette. The Falcons advanced by way of forfeit after second-seeded Prairie Home sat out the first two rounds of the tournament, presumably because the district did not hold classes because of the snow and ice-covered roadways.

Fayette is still searching for its first win after former coach Brandon Friebe took back over the struggling program this year. The Falcons have already lost twice to New Franklin this season in back-to-back games in December.

“It’s kind of a measuring stick game for them and for us,” Schlotzhauer said. “Hopefully, both of us have gotten better. It’ll be interesting to see. I like the way they play hard. And I think it’s always good to play against a team that plays hard like that.”

Tipoff is scheduled for 9 p.m. in the new gym. The winner will advance to the tournament championship against either first-seeded Westran or fourth-seeded Sturgeon. The Hornets cruised past bottom-seeded Community 75-22 in Wednesday’s opener. Sturgeon came from behind to escape past fifth-seeded Pilot Grove 57-54. Westran and Sturgeon are scheduled to open the second round of play in the new gym at 4:30 p.m.

Wellsville was supposed to play Prairie Home, but the Panthers once again pulled out of the tournament. The Tigers now automatically advance to the consolation semifinals.