New Palestine High School

The New Palestine boys basketball team has focused on getting off to good starts in recent games. Thursday night, the Dragons again took command from the opening tip, building a double-digit lead after a quarter and quickly extending it to 20 in the second en route to a 74-39 victory at Perry Meridian. The Class 3A No. 4 Dragons improved to 17-2 with their 10th consecutive victory, and their second straight that featured a running clock for the fourth quarter. Perry Meridian fell to 5-14 with the loss. The Dragons did so with a swarming defense that forced five steals and six turnovers in the opening five minutes. Evan Darrah started the game with a 3-pointer, and Julius Gizzi took charge early. He hit two free throws and a 3-pointer, followed by another basket from Darrah, to give NP an early 10-4 lead. Gizzi then added six more first-quarter points to help NP jump out to a 22-10 lead after one. Much of the Dragons’ damage was done on the fast break, as they either forced live-ball turnovers or grabbed defensive rebounds and got on the run. With Moses Haynes - who became NP’s career steals leader early in the game - pushing the ball on the break, and the Dragons attacking the rim in the half-court, they ballooned the lead. Gizzi and Slagley hit two baskets each in a 13-2 run to begin the second quarter. Austin McMahan also had four points inside. Gizzi tallied 19 of his 23 points in the opening half, giving NP a 42-17 halftime edge. With the Falcons double-teaming Gizzi everywhere on the floor, that left Slagley and McMahan open inside. They combined for 10 points in the third as NP broke it open. Keagan Harrison’s driving layup at the buzzer triggered the running clock at 65-30. Slagley and McMahan scored 10 points each, as the Dragons did much of their damage inside. Haynes and freshman Will Davison tallied eight each, with Davison hitting two of the Dragons’ five 3-pointers in the game. Darrah scored seven and Harrison six. Saturday, they host Southport for a 2:30 p.m. varsity tip, a contest that begins a challenging closing stretch for the Dragons. All five of their remaining regular season opponents are in the top 64 of Jeff Sagarin’s computer rankings. Three - Guerin Catholic, Mt. Vernon and Warren Central - are in the top 25.