NEWTON FALLS — The Dalton Bulldogs will attempt to win their third straight district title after eliminating the Tigers 56-48 in a jam-packed Newton Falls gymnasium on Tuesday night in the Division VI district semifinals.

“It was a wild, hostile environment,” Dalton coach Cody Huth said. “It was an emotional game. Tensions got a little high right off the bat. They kept their cool, and their composure, and they battled through adversity all night. I’m so proud of them for putting the game away down the stretch.

“It’s been a goal since the beginning of the season to win another district championship. It would be the first time in our program’s history to win three in a row.”

Newton Falls’ season has come to an end. However, the Tigers finished with a record of 16-8, giving them a winning season every year since 2006.

“We’re losing seven wonderful seniors,” Newton Falls coach Roy Sembac said. “They’ve put their mark on this program. That’s 19 straight winning seasons, and 28 out of 29. They won a sectional championship. They worked hard every day. They’ll be missed.”

Senior Travis Tursack (10 points) helped the No. 5 seeded Tigers take a 12-11 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Then, Brady Hignight (game-high 21 points) and Coy Wenger (11 points) nailed back-to-back shots from downtown to start the second quarter for Dalton (14-10).

Sophomore Phil Davis (team-high 18 points) made a strong move in the lane to score. Unfortunately, for the Tigers, Davis’ shot just missed at the buzzer and the Bulldogs grabbed a 23-18 lead at halftime.

Dalton, the No. 10 seed, went on a 7-0 run to begin the third quarter before Tursack had a steal and a fast-break layup for Newton Falls.

Senior Ethan Powell got out ahead of the defense for a bucket, and junior Dallas Dunlap drilled one from behind the arc. The Bulldogs kept hitting shots, including a 3-pointer at the buzzer from Hignight and Dalton led 41-31 heading to the fourth.

Davis kept the Tigers close in the final quarter. Senior Carson Howard made a move to put points on the board, and fellow senior Landon McGregor scored inside, but Newton Falls couldn’t close the gap.

“Dalton was very physical, and very athletic,” Sembach said. “I think the biggest difference was that they converted turnovers into buckets. We had four or five turnovers that they turned into scores. When it’s less than a 10-point game, that can make all the difference.”