New Palestine High School

The New Palestine boys basketball team is competing in Saturday's regional, meeting Guerin Catholic at 4 p.m. with a championship on the line. (10/3A 3) New Palestine Dragons (24-3) vs. (19/3A 5) Guerin Catholic Golden Eagles (16-8) Time: 4 p.m. Location: Cougar Gym, Greenfield Tickets: $10, https://public.eventlink.com/tickets?t=118657&p=182902 Audio: NewPalRadio.com (Note: New Palestine and Guerin Catholic fans have been asked to arrive after 3 p.m. to ensure fans from the first game have time to clear the gymnasium). SETTING THE SCENE After winning their 12th sectional title in program history - including their third in a row and eighth since 2009 - the Dragons seek their first-ever regional title today in a rematch with Guerin Catholic. While this is the first-ever regional game the Dragons have played at Greenfield-Central, they are no strangers to the gym in March. They won the 2024 sectional at Cougar Gym and finished runner-up in 2022. They also competed in the sectional at G-C from 1980-97 - winning in 1980, 1989 and 1997 - and 2003. Guerin becomes the 57th different school the Dragons have faced in an IHSAA tournament game since 1917. The Dragons won a 66-51 meeting in the regular season Feb. 11. Julius Gizzi tallied 26 points and Moses Haynes 10 for the Dragons. Bryson Cardinal had 21 points for Guerin. NP is 4-0 all-time against the Golden Eagles. They have met in the regular season each of the last four years. DRAGONS NOTES The Dragons won the sectional title with a 65-55 victory over Roncalli to clinch the Shelbyville sectional. The Dragons trailed early, but took the lead for good in the second quarter and pulled ahead to a double-digit lead in the third. Julius Gizzi tallied 25 points to lead the Dragons. He also had seven rebounds and two steals. Ben Slagley added 16 points - one off his season high - and seven rebounds. Moses Haynes had 15 points, two steals six assists. The Dragons were suffocating on defense in the sectional, forcing an average of 23.7 turnovers and 16 steals per game. In the semifinal, the Dragons ground out a 55-45 victory over Beech Grove. The Dragons finished the game on a 12-2 run, with Gizzi going 8-8 from the line in the final minute. Against Beech Grove, Gizzi tallied 21 of his game-high 26 points in the second half. He also had four rebounds, five assists - one off his career high - and four steals. Slagley added 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and four steals. Austin McMahan tallied nine points, three rebounds, three assists and five steals. The Dragons’ defense has been suffocating in the two tournament games. They forced 28 turnovers in each of the two games, including 39 steals. The Dragons have set a school record for most wins in a season, breaking the mark set by the 2023 team of 23 wins. The Dragons’ senior class is the winningest in school history - they are 88-19 since 2021. Gizzi became the first Dragon to tally 1,700 points during Tuesday’s sectional opener against Rushville. He now has 1,753 for his career. He entered the sectional fourth in the state in scoring (26.4 ppg). Haynes has extended his school career assists record to 449 and steals record to 143. He also holds the single-season assists (194) and steals (65) marks. Slagley will play in his 100th career game in the regional, the first Dragon to do so. He also has moved into 15th place on the NPHS career scoring list (882) and sixth on the single-season assists list (131). He is seventh in career assists (277), fifth in rebounds (595) and second in blocks (100). Haynes entered the sectional fifth in the state in assists (7.5 apg). SCOUTING THE GOLDEN EAGLES Guerin Catholic advanced with a 63-39 victory over Tri-West in the sectional final at Frankfort. The Golden Eagles also beat Lebanon (73-61) and Brebeuf Jesuit (59-45). They are led by senior Bryson Cardinal (19.5 ppg, 9.3 rpg), sophomore Jake Grisson (12.7 ppg) and senior Ryne Paris (10.4 ppg). Guerin has won six straight games. LOOKING AHEAD The regional winner will advance to next week’s semistate. The site and opponent will be determined at a 3 p.m. selection show. 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.