New Palestine High School

The New Palestine boys basketball team has checked off its first goal of the season. Now, the Dragons turn their eyes toward the next. The Dragons (19-2) clinched the outright Hoosier Heritage Conference title Friday, beating Mt. Vernon 66-52 to sweep the HHC with a 7-0 mark. It marked the first outright HHC title since 2013 and fifth league title since 2000. It's the Dragons' 12th overall conference championship. The 13th-ranked Dragons now turn their eyes toward preparing for the sectional, which begins in 10 days at Muncie Central, with two games remaining in the regular season. The Dragons never trailed against the Marauders, jumping out to an early 10-2 lead, with Ian Stephens scoring 10 of the Dragons' first 12 points, and then spent the evening responding to Marauder runs. MV hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut the lead to 16-15 before Blaine Nunnally stuck a 3-pointer on the final possession of the opening frame to put the Dragons up 19-15. In the second, it was Ben Slagley's turn. The Dragons pushed the lead up to 23-17 early in the frame on baskets by Nunnally and Kendall Hill, but MV responded with a run to tie the game at 25. On the next possession, the Dragons got an offensive stop, then Slagley drew a foul and hit two free throws to give the Dragons the lead. He then hit two more baskets and Julius Gizzi drilled a 3-pointer to help push the lead to 34-28. On the final possession of the quarter, Bryant Nunnally drained an open 3-pointer to put the Dragons up nine at the break. A quick basket by the Dragons pushed the lead to 39-28 to open the second half, but again, the Marauders clawed back in, hitting 3-pointers in a four-possession stretch to cut the lead to 43-40. Three-point plays by Slagley and Stephens helped the Dragons respond, and Gizzi hit a shot on the final possession to extend the lead to 50-44 going into the final frame. In the fourth quarter, the Dragons opened the quarter by holding MV to two points in the first four minutes. Blaine Nunnally scored an early three-point play to push the lead to nine, then Moses Haynes drilled a triple out of the corner to make the lead 57-46. Nunnally followed with a pair of baskets and a 3-pointer to help put the game away. The lead grew as high as 16 before a late Marauder basket. Stephens led the Dragons with 20 points, scoring 12 in the opening quarter. Blaine Nunnally scored 10 of his 17 points in the fourth quarter. Slagley scored 11 of his 13 points in the middle quarters. Haynes scored six points, Gizzi five, Bryant Nunnally three and Kendall Hill two. The Dragons dropped the JV game 66-60. The Dragons equaled their second-most wins in school history with 19 wins. They will aim for the second 20-win season - and first 20-win regular season - in school history Saturday at Whiteland.