The New Franklin girls pulled off a third-place finish at the Sturgeon Tournament on Saturday, defeating Community 36-27 to end the week with two wins. The boys fell to longtime rival Westran in the third-place game, 53-46, their second tournament loss to the Hornets this season.

The Lady Bulldogs played a consistent game for the third-place trophy, scoring between eight and 11 points per quarter behind another strong performance by senior Lily Chitwood, who led all scorers with 20 points. She also pulled down six rebounds, made three steals, and dished out four assists. She scored a total of 69 points in three tournament games last week.

“Lily had an overall really good tournament,” said New Franklin coach Parker Gross.

Canna Jennings added six points and six boards, followed by Callie Chitwood with six points, Korinna Chitwood with three points, two rebounds, and two assists, and Skylar Shaw with one point and four rebounds.

“Two weeks in a row of three games in four days is a lot of basketball, and I was proud of our girls earning a gritty win today,” Gross said. “Skylar and Canna did some good things for us, chipping in a few here and there and defending the post well. Belle was a big presence for us defensively on the floor. Korinna and Callie both stepped up and made some big shots when we needed them.”

The New Franklin boys fell seven points short of claiming the third-place trophy with their second loss to Westran this season on Saturday.

Seniors Caden Schlotzhauer and Lane Hackman paced New Franklin with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Hackman shot an efficient 5-for-9 from the field, sinking two of three shots from the 3-point arc. Schlotzhauer shot 5-for14 from the floor and made two of four 3-point attempts.

Hackman and senior Landon Shaw each secured five rebounds.

Both teams enter the final stretch of six regular-season games this week. They were to face Glasgow on Monday, but the game was postponed due to illness. The games will now be played on Feb. 19 in Glasgow.

New Franklin was to host Fatima on Tuesday after the Advertiser went to press, the first of three straight home games. Friday night is Courtwarming, and the Bulldog teams will host Cairo. They stay home next Tuesday to take on Slater.

New Franklin heads back to Sturgeon on Friday the 13th, before playing the final home games of the season against Pilot Grove on Feb. 17. The games at Glasgow on Feb. 19 signal the end of the regular season. The girls will then compete in the Class 1 District Tournament. The boys will play in the Class 2 District 7 Tournament.