KNIGHTSTOWN — After watching teammate Cassie Rooks win the 2014 Hancock County girls golf title, New Palestine sophomore Mackenzi Black wanted a piece of the pie.
She got it Tuesday after carding a low round of 36 at the Royal Hylands Golf Club, leading the Dragons to their second straight county championship.
The Dragons finished with a 168 as Greenfield-Central (179) just edged Mt. Vernon (184) for second place. Eastern Hancock, playing on its home course, finished fourth (239).
New Palestine head coach Gregg Greene said the team’s familiarity with the course made Tuesday’s win possible. The Dragons played at Royal Hylands just weeks ago and shot a 162.
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“We’ve been here before, and we knew what to do,” he said. “We knew the back nine fairly well. They were confident on what to do on each hole.
“If they had a bad hole they rebounded right away.”
Black has come on strong as of late. In a win against No. 11 Fishers last week, the sophomore shot a season-low 35.
According to Greene, though, Black’s terrific day of putting led to her county crown. The sophomore needed just 12 putts on nine holes to seal the win.
“She’s just a really solid player,” he said. “She knows how to play each hole and manages each hole to her game. She was lights out putting. You’re going to score well if you’re putting like that.”
However, Black doesn’t feel so strongly about her abilities on the greens, specifically at Royal Hylands.
“I don’t like the greens,” she said humbly. “I usually struggled on the greens here. But it’s cool that our team won too.
“We worked on them here yesterday (Monday). Having a practice here really helped.”
Rooks finished second overall after tallying a 40 to earn her second-straight appearance on the all-county team. Carly Jones just missed the cut after finishing with a 44. Payton Hill rounded out the Dragon’s scoring with a 48.
Greenfield-Central was led by Makenzie Fisk, who finished third overall with a 41. Megan Garner and Lindsey McCord also shot well for the Cougars, carding 44s.
Marauders freshman Charley True led her team with a 41 also, good for a third-place tie with Fisk. Senior Molly Yee made her second appearance in a row on the all-county team, shooting a 42 for a fifth-place finish.
Teammate Briley Wills (45) finished third for Mt. Vernon.
For the host Royals, Abby Fout led the team with a 52.
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2015 All-Hancock County Golf Team
1. Mackenzi Black, NP – 36
2. Cassie Rooks, NP – 40
3. Mackenzie Fisk, GC – 41
4. Charley True, MV – 41
5. Molly Yee, MV – 42
2015 Hancock County girls golf meet results
1. New Palestine – 168
2. Greenfield-Central – 179
3. Mt. Vernon – 184
4. Eastern Hancock – 239
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