New Palestine High School

The New Palestine boys basketball team raced to an early double-digit lead and kept on the accelerator Friday, routing New Castle 85-60 in a Hoosier Heritage Conference home game. The Dragons surrendered the game's first basket, then scored 15 straight points to take a 13-point lead, and then scored the final five points of the frame to go up 20-6 after a quarter. Ian Stephens scored six points and Ben Slagley four as six different Dragons scored in the opening frame. Balance would be a key throughout the night. The Dragons placed five players in double figures for the first time since the 2019-20 season. All 10 players scored in the contest. New Castle made a small run to start the second quarter and cut the lead to 25-15, but the Dragons answered with a 16-1 run, fueled by strong defense, excellent defensive rebounding and a fast transition offense, to go up 41-16. Stephens scored eight points in the frame, while Blaine Nunnally tallied seven, including one of the Dragons' three 3-pointers in the quarter. Eian Roudebush and Julius Gizzi also tallied from deep, while Slagley added a pair of baskets. The lead was as high as 48-20 before New Castle's Gavin Welch hit two late shots. The Dragons pushed the lead to 30 with a hot start in the third quarter, led by strong balance, Kendall Hill and Eian Roudebush each scored five points in the frame as six different players scored, and kept the lead above 20 throughout the fourth quarter, in which the five bench players tallied nearly all of the minutes. Stephens led the way with 17 points, with 14 coming in the opening half. Blaine Nunnally added 10 of his 14 points in the first half. Roudebush scored 12 points for his first career double-figure scoring game. Gizzi scored 11 points off the bench. Slagley added 10. Moses Haynes hit two fourth-quarter 3-pointers for six points. Hill and Bryant Nunnally each scored five, while both playing excellent defense. Bryant Nunnally forced Welch, NC's leading scorer, off his spots and held him scoreless for long stretches of the game. Daniel Tippit scored three points and Brady Armstrong two. Welch led New Castle with 18 points and was one of three Trojans in double figures. Friday's game marked the first time five Dragons scored in double figures since a Jan. 25, 2020 91-71 victory over Franklin. The 85 points scored were the most since tallying 93 against Metropolitan Dec. 28, 2021. The Dragons are now 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Hoosier Heritage Conference. They next play Saturday at home against Franklin Central. The Dragons also won the JV game 71-40, led by Evan Darrah's 18 points. Landon Seib added 15 and Keagan Harrison 14.