New Palestine High School

The New Palestine boys basketball team has posted a number of big wins in recent years. But Wednesday, the Dragons posted one of the biggest regular-season victories in school history, beating No. 5 Lawrence North 63-56 at the Dragons' Den. The Dragons led for much of the game, as Julius Gizzi scored 27 points. Ben Slagley and Moses Haynes each added 10 in the victory, which moved NP's record to 14-2. Playing their first home game in 39 days - and in front of a large, raucous crowd - the Dragons finished the first quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 15-8 lead. With LN trying to take Gizzi away, Slagley scored six of the Dragons' first 10 points, while Haynes hit a basket and Will Davison drained a 3-pointer to put NP up seven. Gizzi opened the second quarter with a free throw to push the edge to 16-8. LN's Kai McGrew followed with six quick points, which were answered with Gizzi baskets, as NP's lead moved to 20-14. Evan Darrah hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead to nine. After an LN basket, Keagan Harrison scored to make it a 25-16 game. Darrah was fouled on a 3-pointer and hit one shot to extend the lead to 10. LN battled back and cut the lead to 26-21, where Gizzi answered with a 3-pointer to push the lead to eight. The Wildcats hit back-to-back triples - sandwiched around a three-point play by Slagley - to cut the lead to 32-27 at the half. In the third, LN got an early 3-pointer to cut the lead to 32-30, but the Dragons went on a quick 6-2 run, with Gizzi scoring all six, pushing the lead to 38-32. However, the Wildcats responded with a 9-0 run to take the lead, with Butler signee Azavier Robinson and McGrew scoring four points each, to go up 41-38. Haynes hit a shot, LN answered, and Haynes then fed Harrison for a basket to cut the Wildcats' lead to 43-42. With LN in possession and holding for the last shot, Gizzi forced a steal, raced to the top of the key and drained a 3-pointer at the buzzer to put the Dragons back on top 45-42. NP would never trail the rest of the game. Gizzi hit an early shot to put NP up 47-43. Austin McMahan hit an inside layup, Slagley a free throw, Gizzi two more free throws and Will Davison a 3-pointer in a quick spurt to extend the lead to 55-47 with three minutes left, as LN mustered four points from McGrew in the first five minutes of the fourth. Haynes hit a shot and Gizzi added four more free throws to push the lead to 61-49 with just over a minute left before the Wildcats' Brennan Miller hit a 3-pointer, then LN took advantage of two missed layups to score on the other end to cut the lead to 61-54. Haynes dribbled out half of the remaining 22 seconds and hit a free throw to extend the lead to eight. LN's Robinson scored to cut the lead to six, but the Dragons inbounded to Haynes and he hit a free throw with three seconds left to seal the victory. In addition to the three double-figure scorers, Davison scored six points. Harrison and Darrah each tallied four, while McMahan scored two. McGrew led LN with 14 points, while Robinson scored 12 - eight below his average - and Miller 12. The Dragons - ranked No. 12 in the IBCA all-class poll and No. 5 in Class 3A - improved to 14-2 on the season. LN fell to 12-4. NP next plays Friday at home against Yorktown.