NEW PALESTINE — Coming into the season opener Thursday night against Connersville, the only guarantee New Palestine girls basketball coach Sarah Gizzi knew was she had three players returning with varsity experience — Isabella Gizzi, Alaina Miller and Rachel Kelley.
What remained unknown was how the smaller, guard-heavy Dragons would match up against opponents once the games started counting, fouls were being called and the lights were a little brighter.
If Thursday is any indication, New Palestine will be just fine, as the Dragons used their speed on both ends of the floor to coast past the visiting Spartans, 78-29, in a game that featured a running clock in the fourth quarter.
“It was amazing to have that first game. The scrimmage is nice, but when you are out there against another team in a game that matters, where fouls are being called, and there is a little pressure, it is an awesome feeling,” Dragons coach Sarah Gizzi said after the victory.
In the win, New Palestine forced 36 turnovers on defense and showcased balanced scoring out of Gizzi, Miller and Kelley.
“I feel like I don’t know what to expect each year, but I feel like we can take advantage of mismatches, and I feel like our speed is going to be beneficial for us. I am super happy with how the girls played together. One thing about having three players back with varsity experience is all three are guards and have had to make tough decisions with the ball. The difference this season, however, is the girls are accepting their roles and maximizing them. I am super excited about that, and the girls are having a blast,” Gizzi said.
Did the Dragons ever. IsabellaGizzi led the way with 28 points and knocked down three 3-pointers in the victory.
“It was a super fun night. We made shots, played crazy defense and were super athletic. If we play like this each game, we can compete with anyone. We all care for each other, and it showed tonight. We were cheering each other on, and it didn’t matter who scored, as long as we got the win. It was a fun night,” said the junior guard, who averaged 13.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.4 steals per game as a sophomore last season.
Miller chipped in with three 3-pointers of her own en route to 19 points, and Kelley finished with 13 points, all of which dropped in during the first half.
While some may have been wondering who would step up and provide scoring, SarahGizzi admitted she knew immediately which players would produce offensively.
“Alaina was injured her freshman and sophomore years and averaged 20 minutes last year. She has always been a phenomenal talent and she knew she had to step up for us,” Gizzi said of her senior, who averaged 2.9 ppg last year. “Rachel is dedicated to basketball, plays a lot of AAU and had a great game for us tonight.”
Early on it appeared as if it may be a rough start to the season as Connersville came out of the gates hot, racing out to a 7-0 advantage before MIller found the bottom of the net to get New Palestine on the board. When the dust settled, the Dragons had rattled off 13 points and then held a commanding 40-19 lead by halftime.
“We made some adjustments at the half to try and take away some of what they wanted to do in terms of going inside against us, and it worked,” Gizzi said.
The adjustments more than worked as the Spartans were held to only five points in the third frame, while New Palestine scored 20.
In addition to the three players in double figures, the Dragons got six points each from Vivian Miller and Allie Blum and two points each from Nevah Gebhart, Tylar Whitaker and Taylor Kelley.
Connersville was led by both Karsen Morgan and Hailey Sembach, who scored eight points apiece.
New Palestine will hit the road next week for a pair of games at Greenwood and Southport.
Greenwood kicked open the season with a 56-20 victory over Greenfield-Central.
“That will be a good test for us,” Gizzi said of next week’s slate.
