New Palestine High School

The No. 3 New Palestine boys basketball team had to grind its way through Friday's sectional semifinal, but a late three-point play by Ben Slagley helped provide the separation needed to pull out a 55-45 victory over Beech Grove in the 3A Shelbyville sectional. The Dragons (23-3) will face Roncalli (16-8), a 44-42 winner over Greenwood in Friday's second semifinal, for the sectional title. Tipoff is 7 p.m. at Garrett Gym in Shelbyville. The game had been a tight one throughout. The Dragons led 36-35 after three and Austin McMahan got NP started in the fourth with a pair of baskets, but BG kept answering. A 3-pointer by Julius Gizzi gave the Dragons a 43-41 lead. BG hit a shot, but Gizzi answered by splitting two free throws to put NP up 44-43 with 1:39 left. The Dragons got a stop, then Slagley scored a three-point play to push the edge to 47-43. Another stop led to Gizzi hitting two free throws to extend the lead to six. He was 8-of-8 from the line in the final minute, helping lead the Dragons on a 12-2 run to finish the game. Gizzi scored 26 points to lead the Dragons. Slagley added 10 and McMahan nine. Moses Haynes scored seven and Keagan Harrison three. The two teams played a defensive first quarter, with Slagley's coast-to-coast basket and Gizzi's shot inside giving the Dragons a 4-2 lead after one. NP began to open things up in the second, as Slagley, Gizzi, McMahan and Haynes all scored to push the lead to 15-7. But BG hit four second-quarter 3-pointers and clawed back in, cutting the lead to 23-20 at the break. Gizzi scored the first basket of the second half to push the lead to 25-20, but BG answered with a 9-3 run to take its first lead at 29-28. Gizzi scored nine points in the quarter, hitting a big shot to put NP up 34-32. BG responded with a 3-pointer, but Haynes scored to give the Dragons a 36-35 edge going into the fourth. A 27-percent 3-point shooting team on the season, BG hit seven 3-pointers on the day. Freshman Bishop Moore hit two and led the Hornets with 12 points. Anthony Huff added 10. Two other Hornets scored nine points each. The Dragons will be shooting for the 12th sectional title in program history Saturday night and their third consecutive title. It will be the 28th sectional championship game in school history. Two program records were set Friday night. Slagley appeared in his 98th game, breaking Blaine Nunnally's record for career games played in a Dragons uniform. Also, the team tied the 2023 squad with 23 wins, the most in a single season.