New Palestine High School

The New Palestine girls basketball team followed the gameplan perfectly Tuesday against Shelbyville. Facing a Golden Bears attack that relies on back-door cuts and has one of the area's top scorers in Ava Wilson, the Dragons frustrated the Bears' offense with a strong defensive game, especially to begin the fourth quarter. The Dragons held the Golden Bears scoreless for the first four and a half minutes of the final frame en route to a 56-49 victory at NPHS. The Dragons are now 5-5 after their third straight victory and are 3-0 in the Hoosier Heritage Conference. Sadey Hughbanks scored a career-high 17 points to lead the Dragons. Vivian Miller and Kylee Beranek each scored 10 in the victory. With the game tied at 41, the Dragons went to work on the defensive end, forcing multiple Shelbyville turnovers and holding the Bears to one shot on the offensive end. The teams were scoreless for the first two and a half minutes of the frame before Kendra Moore caught a back-door pass for a layup to put the Dragons up 43-41. After a Shelbyville miss, Vivian Miller hit Allie Blum with a long pass, springing Blum for a fast-break layup that pushed the edge to 45-41. Miller then scored on a drive from the wing to put the Dragons up six. Wilson hit back-to-back shots to draw Shelbyville within 47-45, but Miller hit another shot and Sadey Hughbanks tallied a three-point play to push the lead to 52-46. Beranek then scored to extend the lead to eight. The Dragons held a two-possession lead the rest of the way. The first half was a back-and-forth game in which the lead was within one possession for much of the contest. Hughbanks scored five first-quarter points, including a 3-pointer, to put the Dragons up 12-10 after one. The Dragons built a quick 18-13 lead in the second, but Shelbyville answered with five quick points to tie the game. Beranek then buried a jumper from the corner, but again, the Golden Bears responded. A 3-pointer and a putback by Hughbanks helped the Dragons build a 25-22 lead going into the break. In the third, the Dragons again had balanced scoring to build leads of 34-27 and 36-30, with Kendra Moore scoring five quick points. Each time the Dragons built a lead, Shelbyville raced back, using a 7-0 run to take a 37-36 lead. The Dragons again answered, as Natalie Sevier scored a three-point play to give the Dragons the lead back at 39-37. The teams headed to the fourth tied at 41, where the Dragons seized control. Hughbanks eclipsed her previous career high of 15 points, which she had tallied twice. She hit two 3-pointers and scored 10 points in the opening half. Miller scored six fourth-quarter points. Beranek scored in double-figures for the first time this season. She had six first-half points and tallied two baskets at critical junctures in the second half, in addition to strong defense and rebounding. Moore added eight points, one off her career high, scoring seven in the second half. Blum tallied six points and Sevier five for the Dragons. Blum held Wilson to 15 points, many of which were on tough step-back shots. The Dragons held Shelbyville's second-leading scorer on the season to seven points. The Dragons next play at 6 p.m. Friday at home against Greenfield-Central in the first half of a girls/boys doubleheader. The Dragons dropped a 27-25 decision in the JV game.