New Palestine High School

The New Palestine boys basketball team returns to Hoosier Heritage Conference play Friday as the Dragons host Yorktown, and then will host Lawrence North Monday in a rescheduled game. Friday New Palestine Dragons (14-0, 4-0 HHC) vs. Yorktown Tigers (11-4, 3-1 HHC) Time: 6 p.m. JV, 7:30 p.m. V Site: New Palestine High School Audio: NewPalRadio.com Video: IHSAAtv.org Tickets: $6, cash at gate or online at https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=28325 Monday New Palestine Dragons (14-0) vs. Lawrence North Wildcats (12-3) Time: 6 p.m. JV, 7:30 p.m. V Site: New Palestine High School Audio: NewPalRadio.com Video: IHSAAtv.org Tickets: $6, cash at gate or online at https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=28643 SETTING THE SCENE The Dragons enter the week with a 14-0 mark - the best start in school history - and as one of two unbeaten teams in Indiana. Ben Davis (20-0) is the other. The Dragons return to conference play Friday with a trip to Yorktown in a matchup between teams in first and second place in the conference. The Dragons trail the all-time series 14-10, but won last year’s meeting 51-48 and have won six of the last seven meetings. The Dragons are ranked for the fourth straight week in the IBCA poll and in the Top 10 for the first time in school history. They debuted in the AP 4A poll for the first time in school history this week. Monday is the first-ever meeting between the Dragons and Wildcats. They were scheduled to meet in the 2020 regional, but it was canceled due to COVID-19 shutdowns. The last time the Dragons faced a team from Lawrence Township, they lost to the Lawrence Lions 35-17 on Feb. 22, 1935. DRAGONS NOTES The Dragons had a season-high 39 rebounds in Saturday’s 63-52 victory at Franklin. Ben Slagley had a career-high 15 boards and eight points. Ian Stephens tallied 22 points and 13 rebounds. Slagley’s total was the first 15-rebound day Dec. 28, 2021 against Metropolitan. In the victory over Franklin, Blaine Nunnally scored 27 points - the most by any Dragon in a game this season - and Stephens scored 22. It marked the fourth time the Dragons have had two 20-point scorers in a game this season, and the third time it’s been Nunnally and Stephens. Nunnally had 15 points and eight assists in Friday’s 58-41 victory over Roncalli. The eight assists were one shy of his career high and the most for a Dragon in a game this seasona. Senior Blaine Nunnally became the 10th Dragon to reach the 1,000-point mark in Saturday’s 73-68 victory over Southport. Nunnally now has 1,054 career points and ranks sixth on the career scoring list. He needs 27 points to catch Steele Brasfield for fifth place. Nunnally needs 13 assists to reach Maximius Gizzi’s mark for most career assists in NPHS history. He currently has 362 in his career. Nunnally is second in the HHC in scoring at 17.4 ppg, with Stephens ranking fifth (16.9 ppg). Stephens (8.9) and Slagley (7.5) are the league’s top two rebounders. Nunnally leads the league in assists (5.3 apg), with Moses Haynes seventh (2.6 apg). Stephens ranks seventh in steals (1.4 spg). SCOUTING THE TIGERS Yorktown enters the week having swept last weekend, beating New Castle 51-28 and Monroe Central 51-47. The Tigers are led by senior A.J. Dunn, who tallies 16.4 points per game. Junior Kieran Tewari addes 12.9 points and 2.6 assists per game. SCOUTING THE WILDCATS LN is playing its first season after the retirement of legendary coach Jack Keefer, who had been the only coach in school history. Sophomore Azavier Robinson leads the Wildcats with 18 ppg and 6.7 rpg. Junior Kobi Bowles adds 14.2 ppg. LN swept last weekend, beating North Central 67-66 and Homestead 64-46.