New Palestine High School

The New Palestine boys basketball team took control in the second quarter Friday and led by double digits much of the rest of the way in a 66-58 victory at Yorktown. The victory improved the Dragons' record to 12-4 and 4-1 in HHC play. Julius Gizzi led the Dragons with 31 points, while Austin McMahan added a career-high 14. The teams traded baskets in the first quarter, with Gizzi, McMahan and Ben Slagley scoring four points each, helping answer two 3-pointers from Yorktown's Kieran Tewari and help the Dragons take a 14-13 lead after one. NP built the lead to 31-22 at halftime, as Gizzi opened the frame with a three-point play and capped it with a 3-pointer. He scored 12 in the quarter. In the third, the Dragons maintained the lead, as Gizzi scored 10 points and McMahan added a pair of baskets, giving NP a 50-40 edge. Mason Moulton warmed up for Yorktown, scoring six points in the frame. The Dragons pushed the lead as high as 15 in the fourth. Yorktown had a late flurry led by Tewari, who hit two 3-pointers and scored 10 in the quarter, but ran out of time, as Gizzi and Moses Haynes were 8-of-10 from the line in the frame. Haynes returned to action after missing Wednesday's game with an injury and did a solid job running the floor, in addition to helping put the game away with five fourth-quarter free throws. In addition to the two double-figure scorers, Slagley scored nine points, Keagan Harrison seven and Haynes five. Tewari led Yorktown with 20 points. Moulton added 12 of his 16 in the second half. The Dragons dropped the JV game 70-68. The Dragons next play Feb. 1 at home against Perry Meridian.