New Palestine High School

After winning back-to-back conference games, the New Palestine girls basketball team heads to the road this week for two games. The Dragons are 6-3 and on a four-game winning streak. Tuesday: New Palestine Dragons (6-3, 3-0) at Shelbyville Golden Bears (8-1, 0-1) Time: 6 p.m. JV/7:30 p.m. V Site: Garrett Gymnasium, Shelbyville (directions: https://goo.gl/maps/GEXTcFQneWjnMgnH6) Tickets: $6, available at gate Broadcast: none Friday: New Palestine Dragons (6-3, 3-0) at Greenfield-Central Cougars (3-6, 0-1) Time: 6 p.m. V (JV game 6 p.m. Thursday at NPHS) Site: Cougar Gymnasium, Greenfield (directions: https://goo.gl/maps/sCbhvQyy1apeT2s1A) Tickets: $6, available at gate (online link TBA) Audio: NewPalRadio.com SETTING THE SCENE After opening HHC play with two victories last week, the Dragons continue their run of five consecutive conference games - the last four on the road - with trips to Shelbyville and Greenfield-Central. The Dragons lead the all-time series with Shelbyville 18-9 and have won eight of the last nine meetings. The Dragons dropped a 39-29 decision last year. The Dragons continue their roadtrip Friday with the first of two girls/boys doubleheaders this season. NPHS has played G-C in each of its 49 seasons of varsity basketball and leads the all-time series 34-31. NP has won nine straight, including a 59-34 sectional win and 43-32 regular-season victory last season. Isabella Gizzi scored 15 points in the sectional meeting and Vivian Miller 10 for the Dragons. DRAGONS NOTES The Dragons enter the week having won four straight games. Junior Vivian Miller has scored in double-figures in three consecutive games, with 17 points against Whiteland, 12 against New Castle and a career-high 18 against Delta. She is shooting 59 percent (17-29) in those three contests. She is averaging 10.4 ppg this season. Miller added four rebounds, four assists - tying a career high - and three steals against Delta. Junior Allie Blum also tallied a career high against Delta, scoring 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting. She added seven rebounds. Blum is averaging 9.6 points per contest. Against New Castle, she had a season-high four steals. Senior Isabella Gizzi crossed the 1,300-point mark for her career with a 22-point effort in Saturday’s game against Delta. Gizzi now has 1,309 career points. Gizzi also reached the 200-steal milestone against New Castle and now has 207 for her career. She had 22 points, eight rebounds and six steals against Delta. Against New Castle, she had 27 points, seven rebounds and five steals. She is averaging 25.0 ppg and ranks eighth in the state in scoring. The Dragons scored a season-high 45 points in the first half against Delta, holding the Eagles to three second-quarter points en route to building a 46-15 halftime lead. Freshman Sadey Hughbanks had nine points against New Castle, setting a career high. She added six boards. She followed with eight boards against Delta. Sophomore Tylar Whitaker talllied three rebounds, three assists and four steals against Delta. SCOUTING THE GOLDEN BEARS Shelbyville has started the season 8-1, led by the HHC’s top scorer Kylee Edwards, who is averaging 29.6 points per game. The Golden Bears are off to their best start since 2003-04, when they started 8-0, a streak snapped by a 62-55 loss to New Palestine, a game in which current NPHS AD Al Cooper defeated a team coached by his future son-in-law Michael Gaines. SCOUTING THE COUGARS G-C enters the week having dropped four straight games, most recently a 38-36 Dec. 1 home loss to Lapel. The Cougars have also fallen to Pendleton Heights, Heritage Christian and Chatard in the streak. Sophomore Chaney Brown leads the Cougars, tallying 14.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Aryana Hibbard tallies 10.4 ppg.