New Palestine High School

The New Palestine girls basketball team rallied back from a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to have a chance to tie Tuesday, but the rally fell short in a 45-38 loss to Mt. Vernon. The Dragons fell to 10-3 overall and 3-2 in Hoosier Heritage Conference play heading into a 17-day holiday break. Brooklyn Crim gave the Dragons an early boost, scoring 12 of her team-high 15 points in the first half. The lead see-sawed back and forth several times in the opening half. Crim hit a 3-pointer and a basket to answer an early MV run to tie the game at 5-5. After a 3-pointer, Haven Flagle and Kendra Moore hit four straight free throws to put the Dragons up 9-8, but MV answered with its third 3-pointer of the quarter to go up 11-9 after one. MV sandwiched back-to-back triples around a basket by Gabbie Brown to go up 17-11 to start the second, but the Dragons battled back, as Brown drilled a 3-pointer and Crim hit four straight free throws to put NP up 18-17. After a no-call on a drive in the lane, MV had a run-out and a 3-pointer to re-take the lead, but Crim answered with her second triple to put NP up 21-20. However, MV scored four points in the last 15 seconds - a second-chance basket followed by a steal-and-score - to go up 24-21 at the break. That run would give MV the lead for good. MV hit an early 3-pointer, but it was quickly answered with a long triple by Moore. However, the Dragons would score just one point the remainder of the quarter. A solid defensive effort kept the game at 29-24 for a long time, but a late basket on a fast break after a heavily-disputed turnover through contact allowed MV to go up by seven before a free throw by Sawyor Murdick cut it to 31-25 after three. MV started the fourth quarter with leading scorer Zoey Wood driving and drawing fouls. She hit four straight free throws, answered by Sadey Hughbanks baskets. A 3-pointer by Kendra Ash - the Marauders' eighth of the game - put MV up 38-29. Very quickly on the other end, Brown answered with one of her own to cut the deficit back to six. Two more free throws made it a 40-32 game, but the Dragons responded with six straight points - a basket and free throw by Crim on two different trips, and a driving shot leading to a three-point play by Haven Flagle, which cut the deficit to 40-38. The Dragons again forced a stop and had a chance to tie the game in the final minute, but a turnover thwarted the threat. MV hit two free throws, the Dragons missed one and had a second negated by a lane violation, and then MV hit a free throw, grabbed an offensive board on the missed second shot, and hit two more free throws to ice the game. In addition to Crim's 15 points, Brown tallied eight. Flagle and Moore scored five each. Hughbanks tallied four, while Murdick scored one. The Dragons are next in action Jan. 3 in the Covenant Christian tournament. They open against Guerin Catholic, and will face either Covenant Christian or Christian Academy of Indiana in the second game.