The New Palestine boys basketball team used a balanced game plan on Saturday to cruise to a 91-71 victory against Franklin.
The Dragons reached 90 points for the first time since Feb. 6, 2015, when they scored 96 in a victory at Shelbyville. Five players scored in double figures, marking the first time since 2018 and the second since 2012.
The Dragons gradually pulled away to a nine-point lead at halftime, scoring 21 second-quarter points to go up 38-29.
New Palestine then outscored the visiting Grizzly Cubs 26-17 in the third quarter to take a 64-46 edge going into the final period. A 27-point fourth quarter led to a 53-point second half — the most for the Dragons this season — and a comfortable victory.
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Maximus Gizzi scored 26 points to lead the Dragons.
Matthew Brown scored a career-high 18 points. Dawson Eastes tallied 15. Eric Roudebush added 13 points. Blaine Nunnally hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 points.
The Dragons are now 6-10 on the season and have won four of their last six contests.
Royals fall short against Raiders
The Eastern Hancock boys basketball team lost a tough one to rival Shenandoah on Saturday night during its Mid-Eastern Conference showdown at home.
The EH Royals trailed 26-21 by halftime, but they’re poor shooting night (28 percent) hurt their comeback effort in the second half.
Landon O’Neal scored a team-high 11 points, followed by Cole Rainbolt’s eight, Cyrus Burton’s seven and Zach Arnold’s six points. Silas Spaulding had five points after finishing 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.
Rainbolt had a team-best eight rebounds. Burton hauled in seven rebounds.
The Royals are now 6-6 on the season and 3-3 in the MEC.
Cougars win third straight
The Greenfield-Central boys basketball team won its third straight game on Saturday with a key Hoosier Heritage Conference victory over Shelbyville 60-54.
The win improved the Cougars’ HHC record to 2-1 and 7-7 overall.
Caleb Mundell scored a team-high 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting. He was 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
Jack Cochran had 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field and 3-for-4 efficiency from 3-point range. Dylan Moles added 12 points.
Caleb Mundell grabbed a team-best six rebounds and had four assists. Cochran had five rebounds, while both Brady Mundell and Tyler Antic had four.
Second half hurts Marauders
The Mt. Vernon boys basketball team built a five-point first half lead, but the Marauders couldn’t hold on, falling to Hamilton Southeastern 55-42.
Mt. Vernon led 26-21 before the Royals outscored the Marauders 34-16 in the second half.
Razhaun Wells scored a team-high 14 points for the Marauders. Armon Jarrard had nine points.
Ryan Morris had five rebounds to lead the team. Amhad Jarrard and Wells both tallied three.
The Marauders are now 5-8 on the season.
Gymnastics
Dragons finish second at New Castle
The New Palestine gymnastics team finished second at Saturday’s four-team New Castle Invitational, tallying 100.825 points.
The Dragons finished second to Richmond, which won with 102.575. New Castle tallied 99.975 and Muncie Central 73.45.
Grace Shanahan led the Dragons, finishing third in the all-around with a score of 34.925. She was second on beam (8.7), third on bars (8.55), fourth on vault (8.8) and fifth in the floor exercise (9.2).
Kennedy Garrett was sixth on the beam (8.25). Alyse Rickey placed sixth on uneven bars (7.8). Addie Haler finished sixth on floor exercise (9.05).
Boys swimming
Dragons third, Royals eighth at Warren invitational
New Palestine finished third and Eastern Hancock placed eighth at the Warren Central Invitational held Friday and Saturday.
Dragon diver Colin Stacey was the area’s top individual finisher with a second place finish. The New Palestine 200-yard freestyle relay team of Chase Siler, Ben Miesse, Damon Estes and Jack Schwartz also placed second.
New Palestine scored 553 points. Eastern Hancock tallied 251.
Matthew McDaniel had the best finish for the Royals, placing third in the 500 freestyle.
Fourteen teams participated in the event.
Girls swimming
New Pal fifth, Eastern eighth at invitational
At the Warren Central Invitational, held Friday and Saturday, New Palestine placed fifth out of 15 teams. Eastern Hancock finished eighth.
New Palestine diver Karen Shriver placed fourth, while Katelyn Trimpe added a fifth-place finish in the 200 freestyle.
For Eastern Hancock, Olivia Bourquein finished fifth in the 100 backstroke.
New Palestine scored 333 points, while Eastern Hancock totaled 119.
