New Palestine High School

The New Palestine boys basketball team trailed much of the day, but rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Greenwood 62-56 Saturday at NPHS. The Dragons finished the game with an 11-1 run to seal the victory. The Dragons went on a run at the end of the third quarter to turn a seven-point deficit into a 47-45 lead, sparked by Evan Darrah's 3-pointer, followed by baskets from Moses Haynes, Ben Slagley and Austin McMahan. However, Greenwood quickly re-took the lead, opening the fourth quarter on a 10-4 spurt to take a 55-51 lead at the midpoint of the quarter. Haynes hit a shot to draw the Dragons within two, then NP got a defensive stop and Julius Gizzi sliced inside, scored and drew a foul to give the Dragons the lead. The Dragons then hit 6-of-10 from the line down the stretch to seal the victory. The Dragons surrendered the game's first seven points and fell behind 16-6, but finished the first quarter with six straight points - baskets by Gizzi, Haynes and two free throws from Slagley - to cut the deficit to four. McMahan and Gizzi scored five straight points to give the Dragons a 17-16 lead and extend the run to 11 points, but Greenwood quickly answered and took a 31-26 halftime edge. The Woodmen pushed their lead to seven in the third before a late run by the Dragons, who struggled from distance - Darrah's 3-pointer that launched the run was their only triple of the game - but hit 27-of-39 from the line. Gizzi led the Dragons with 24 points, hitting 14-of-17 from the line. Slagley added 15 points, scoring nine in the second half. Haynes and McMahan tallied eight each, while Darrah had five and Keagan Harrison two. The Dragons are now 2-0 on the season. They next play Friday at Greenfield-Central.