New Palestine High School

The New Palestine boys basketball team opened Saturday's game with an 18-point run and kept pouring on in a 69-38 victory over Franklin Central. The Dragons improved to 5-1 on the season with the victory. After four quick points by Julius Gizzi to open the game, Evan Darrah hit a 3-pointer and Moses Haynes a four-point play to put the Dragons up 11, and they never looked back from there. NP opened the game with an 18-0 run. Haynes hit another triple in the run, while Austin McMahan added two scores. The Dragons kept extending the lead in the second quarter, as they tallied 26 points to build a 44-12 halftime edge. Gizzi hit two triples and scored 13 points in the frame. Ben Slagley added six points in the quarter. The Dragons triggered the running clock midway through the third, extending the edge to 54-19 before FC scored the quarter's last four points to make it 54-23. Gizzi scored eight of the Dragons' 10 points in the quarter, and then played even with the Flashes in the final frame, with reserves handling most of the minutes. Gizzi led the Dragons with 27 points. Haynes added 11. Freshman Will Davison added eight points off the bench. Slagley scored six points. Darrah tallied five, McMahan four and Eli Parrett three. Keagan Harrison and Liam Atkinson scored two points each, while Sam Hirschy tallied one. FC did not have a single double-figure scorer. The Dragons next play Dec. 27 in the Ray Furney Classic at Lawrenceburg.