New Palestine High School

The No. 3 Dragons boys basketball team heads into the sectional weekend, as it faces Beech Grove in the 6 p.m. semifinal at Garrett Gym in Shelbyville, with Greenwood and Roncalli to contest the second semifinal. FRIDAY: (10/3A 3) New Palestine Dragons (22-3) vs. Beech Grove Hornets (8-16) Time: 6 p.m. Site: Garrett Gym, Shelbyville Tickets: $7, https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=115030 Audio: NewPalRadio.com SATURDAY: Sectional championship Time: 7 p.m. Site: Garrett Gym, Shelbyville Tickets: $7, https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=115031 Audio: NewPalRadio.com SETTING THE SCENE The Dragons enter the weekend in their 108th IHSAA tournament after opening the sectional with a 75-31 victory over Rushville. The Dragons face Beech Grove in Friday’s semifinal. It is the second all-time tourney meeting between the schools - the first came in the 1962 Southport sectional, a 70-63 Dragons victory. This year marks the 17th time the Dragons have played a sectional at Shelbyville, having also done so from 1969-79 in single-class play, and from 1998-2001 and again in 2008. The Dragons have also played in the Shelbyville regional three times. The Dragons are in Class 3A for the first time since 2017. NP was in 3A from 1998-2011, and again in 2016-17. The Dragons are seeking their 12th sectional title in school history. They enter having won back-to-back sectional championships and four titles in the last six seasons. DRAGONS NOTES The Dragons opened sectional play with an emphatic 75-31 victory over Rushville. They jumped out to an early 14-4 lead, scored 36 second-quarter points to build the advantage to 58-14 at halftime and led by as many as 52 points. The Dragons tallied a season-high 20 steals, with Ben Slagley nabbing eight and NPHS career steals leader Moses Haynes five. All 12 players saw significant minutes Tuesday. Julius Gizzi led the Dragons with 20 points, five rebounds and four steals in two and a half quarters. Austin McMahan added 14 points on 6-6 shooting - including his first two 3-pointers of the year - and added three boards and a block. Haynes had 11 points and seven assists. Slagley added eight assists. The Dragons’ 44-point margin was the largest in the school’s tournament history, eclipsing an 89-58 victory over Trafalgar in the 1967 Whiteland sectional. The Dragons enter the weekend with a 22-3 mark - tied with last year’s team for the second-most wins in school history. A victory in the semifinal would tie the Dragons’ school record of 23, set in 2023. The Dragons’ senior class is the winningest in school history - they are 86-19 since 2021. Gizzi became the first Dragon to tally 1,700 points Tuesday. He now has 1,702. Haynes extended his school career assists record to 441 and steals record to 140 Tuesday night, and broke his own single-season assists record, which is now 186. When he steps on the floor in his next game, Slagley will play in his 98th career game, breaking Blaine Nunnally’s record for games played in a career. At 26.4 ppg entering the sectional, Gizzi is fourth in the state in scoring and second in the HHC. At 7.5 apg, Haynes is fifth in the state and first in the HHC in assists. Slagley leads the HHC in blocked shots (1.3 bpg). SCOUTING THE FOES The Dragons face a Beech Grove team Friday night that is 8-16. The Hornets drew the sectional bye. BG has dropped three straight games heading into the tourney. The Hornets are led by senior Tyris Reid (11.2 ppg) and freshman Bishop Moore (11.0 ppg). In the other semifinal, Roncalli faces Greenwood. The Woodmen won a 53-49 decision when the two teams met Feb. 1. NP beat Greenwood 62-56 on opening weekend behind Julius Gizzi’s 24 points and nine boards. Isaac O’Neal (14.6 ppg) and Joey Ortman (10.7 ppg) lead the Woodmen. O’Neal had 18 points to lead Greenwood against the Dragons. The Dragons beat Roncalli 64-62 Jan. 24, Gizzi had 28 points in that contest. Juniors Conner Kesler (13.7 ppg) and Joe Taylor (10.9 ppg) lead the Royals. Kesler had 20 points in the meeting against the Dragons. LOOKING AHEAD The sectional winner will face the Frankfort sectional champion in the regional. The site and time are TBA. Guerin Catholic, Brebeuf Jesuit, Danville and Tri-West are the semifinalists. FOLLOW THE DRAGONS All Dragons games, home and away, are broadcast at NewPalRadio.com. The Dragons are also on Facebook and Instagram (@newpalestinedragons) and X (@NPHSDragons), and can be found online at NewPalestineAthletics.com.