New Palestine High School

The New Palestine boys basketball team opens its 2024-25 season with a pair of home games against county rival Eastern Hancock and potential sectional foe Greenwood. FRIDAY: Eastern Hancock Royals (0-1) at (#13/3A #5) New Palestine Dragons (0-0) Time: 6 p.m. JV, 7:30 p.m. V Site: New Palestine HS gymnasium Tickets: $6, at gate or https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=104291 Video: IHSAAtv.org ($) Audio: NewPalRadio.com SATURDAY: Greenwood Woodmen (2-0) at (#13/3A #5) New Palestine Dragons (0-0) Time: 4 p.m. F/JV, 5:30 p.m. V Site: New Palestine HS gymnasium Tickets: $6, at gate or https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=104397 Video: IHSAAtv.org ($) Audio: NewPalRadio.com SETTING THE SCENE The Dragons open their season with a county rivalry matchup, as they face off against Eastern Hancock. This is the 69th all-time meeting between the schools, and the fourth since they resumed their series in 2021. NP holds a 42-26 lead in the series and has won 28 of the last 30 dating to the 1991-92 season. The Dragons are coming off a 22-6 sectional championship season, the second-most wins in school history, eclipsed only by a 23-win season the year before. Saturday, the Dragons play Greenwood in their second game of the weekend and season. While this had been the season finale for 21 consecutive seasons, it moves to the opening week. The Dragons and Woodmen are in the same sectional for the first time since 2015. NP leads the all-time series 30-20 and has won 10 of the last 11 meetings DRAGONS NOTES The Dragons enter the year with four returning starters from last year’s sectional championship squad, including senior and reigning Junior All-Star Julius Gizzi, who finished second in the state in scoring last season (28.9 ppg) and also grabbed 8.0 rebounds per game. Gizzi was an IBCA Underclass Supreme 15 All-State and AP Third Team All-State performer. Guard Moses Haynes, who ranked fourth in the state in assists (6.7), and forward Ben Slagley, who was second to Gizzi in the HHC in rebounding last season (6.6), return. So does defensive stalwart Austin McMahan. Gizzi set the NPHS single-season scoring record with 810 points last season, shattering the previous mark of 608 held by his brother Maximus since 2020. Gizzi enters the weekend with 1,049 career points, one of 11 1,000-point scorers in school history. He ranks seventh on the career scoring list, and needs 32 points to catch Steele Brasfield for sixth place and 57 to catch Ryan Curry in fifth. McMahan had a big fall, posting 849 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns to lead the Dragons football team to the Class 4A state championship. In addition to dishing a school-record 184 assists last season, Haynes also scored 11.4 ppg and set a school record with 51 steals. Slagley had four double-doubles last season - including a 19-point, 11-rebound game against Eastern Hancock - and has eight for his career. Gizzi had six double-doubles last year. Gizzi hit the 30-point mark 16 times last season, with a high of 44 against Whiteland. SCOUTING THE ROYALS EH enters the week 0-1 after falling 64-39 to Centerville last Wednesday in the season opener. Luke Schilling scored nine points and grabbed five boards to lead the Royals. Caden Powers and Kayden Ruble scored eight each. SCOUTING THE WOODMEN Greenwood enters the week 2-0 after beating Center Grove 73-70 and Greenwood Christian 52-42 last week to open the year. Isaac O’Neal leads the Woodmen with an 18.5 ppg average. Acen Swain adds 11.0 ppg. O’Neal had 27 points and six rebounds in the Woodmen’s win over Center Grove. The Woodmen play Friday in their conference opener at Martinsville. Photo credit: Aaron Smith