NEW PALESTINE — The New Palestine Dragons faced yet another test on Tuesday night, and they nearly pulled off an upset.
Much like against Class 4A No. 5 Fishers last week, the Dragons built a substantial lead against 2A No. 1 Triton Central at home, but they couldn’t hold on.
New Palestine ran out front 20-15 after the first quarter and led 27-17 before the visiting Tigers (18-0) kept their winning streak alive 67-59.
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“We had two quarters where we really struggled to put the ball in the basket,” New Palestine head coach Sarah Gizzi said. “Quite frankly, it was the same thing that happened to us there last year. We had a great first quarter, then the second quarter we couldn’t put the ball in the basket.
“You’re not going to beat a team like that if you have two quarters where you’re scoring 10 and six points.”
The first quarter was a microcosm of what can be for the Dragons as freshman point guard Isabella Gizzi attacked the lane for eight of her 14 points, while Addi Jones poured in six of her nine.
Michaela Jones scored a team-high 17 points with five 3-pointers — all falling through in the second half.
“(Isabella) has had some games like that. As a young player, in these types of games, she really likes to get after it,” Sarah Gizzi said. “I thought Addi really rose to the challenge, too, in the first half. I thought her and Isabella were doing some really good things, attacking the basket against the zone.”
The Dragons (12-6) went on a 7-2 run in the first quarter with solid ball movement to counter Triton Central’s zone defense.
A 7-2 run to open the second quarter put them ahead by 10 points, but then the Tigers charged back with a 12-0 run to go up 29-27.
A 13-3 rally to open the third quarter kept their lead safe despite a late comeback effort by the Dragons.
“They have a lot of weapons. Our girls always fight, so I’m proud of them for that, but we have a lot to work on still through the end of the season,” Sarah Gizzi said. “That was a really good test for us. A really good test. I was pleased with our defense to start the game. In spurts I thought we did a really nice job, but they’re consistent shooters and they knocked them down when they needed to.”
Triton Central had four players finish in double-figures, led by Rylie Stephens’ 18 points. Tenleigh Phelps had 16 points and seven rebounds. Stephens added six rebounds.
Maya Chandler, who Michaela Jones locked down for nine points in the first half, scored 13 by the end. Grace Crist had 15 points with 14 of them coming as the Tigers captured the moment during the third.
“That was our goal to start off strong and we actually did pretty well with that, but then it kind of started to go downhill,” Isabella Gizzi said. “For rivals like that we like to make it a big game.”
The Dragons narrowed the deficit 51-43 with a 10-2 swing late in the third quarter and a Michaela Jones’ 3-pointer with 2:15 left in the frame cut it to 59-51. But the Tigers held on to win.
“I want (Michaela) to shoot more from the start. Usually, mom has to get on her to start shooting, and then in the second half, when she comes to shoot, we usually do better,” Isabella Gizzi said. “We need her to shoot, but she really helps the team so much on defense.”
The Dragons competed in four straight road games, winning two of four before returning home on Tuesday. They’ve won three of the past seven, but they aren’t discouraged by the results.
“Our goal was to win three of the last four, but we didn’t do that,” Isabella Gizzi said. “Now, we’re going to try to win on Friday.”
The Dragons host Hoosier Heritage Conference rival Pendleton Heights on Friday night for a boys-girls doubleheader starting at 6 p.m.
