NEW PALESTINE — It might have been only Game 3 of the Hoosier Heritage Conference schedule for the New Palestine boys basketball team, but it felt like a must-win game.
In a physical, hard-fought HHC match with Class 3A No. 2 Delta (10-2, 1-1), they answered the call.
The Dragons (8-2, 2-1) pulled away late for the 62-54 win in front of their home crowd Friday.
“Every win is big. Delta is always a great team, and always well-coached, so to beat them is great. They’re a Final 4 team from last year in 3A and had everybody pretty much back, so they’re a very senior-heavy team,” New Palestine head coach Trent Whitaker said. “We knew we weren’t going to be able to just come in here and run them out of the gym. It’s a huge win right now to stay in the conference race.”
Led by senior D’Amare Hood’s 11 first-quarter points, the Eagles jumped out to the early lead and led 15-14 after one quarter.
After four more Hood points to open the second and a Jackson Wors basket for Delta, the Dragons fought back for their first lead since 2-0.
A Moses Haynes assist to Austin McMahan and a Julius Gizzi layup put the Dragons in front 22-21.
Five more Gizzi points before the end of the half kept the Dragons in front 27-26 entering the break.
Led by point guard Haynes’ ability to create easy shots against a tough, physical Delta defense, the Dragons outscored the Eagles 17-12 in the third quarter for the biggest difference of the night.
His five third-quarter assists helped the Dragons create a cushion entering the final eight minutes of play.
After Hood knocked down a 3-pointer to put Delta back ahead early in the period, Haynes found Ben Slagley and Gizzi for easy layups to regain the lead.
Another Haynes-to-Slagley connection pushed the lead to 40-33 late in the quarter.
Slagley scored eight of his 16 points in the quarter, and unofficially, Haynes finished the night with 11 assists.
“He’s [Haynes] the kid that makes us go, finds kids in the right spots and puts them in places that they can score. He just makes the right play, and our kids know that if you’re in the paint and he’s penetrating you better have your hands up and ready because he’s going to find you,” Whitaker said. “He’s just a great team player and great team leader.”
Four straight Gizzi points put the Dragons up eight early in the fourth quarter, but Hood kept the Eagles within reach.
The two leading scorers battled it out over the final eight minutes. Hood scored 11 of his game-high 35 points in the quarter, and Gizzi scored 12 of his team-high 34 points.
“It’s one of those things where you scout the kid and know that he [Hood] can shoot, but I’ve never seen him shoot the ball that well. He got the dunk early and from that point on he was just playing with a ton of confidence,” Whitaker said. “He hit some step-back 3s that are tough to defend, but I think we only really lost him once. He’s just an incredible player.”
A Hood 3-pointer and free throw cut the Dragons lead to 50-47, but Gizzi answered with a three-point play.
And after another Hood trey, Gizzi responded again with a pair of free throws to keep the Dragons in front by four.
Hood’s seventh 3-pointer of the game made it a three-point game with just over a minute to play, but a pair of Haynes assists to McMahan, and Gizzi free throws down the stretch pushed the Dragons across the finish line.
Gizzi hit 8-of-9 free throws in the final quarter to seal the win and scored over 30 points for the sixth time in the last seven games. He pushed his season average to 29.1 points per game.
“It’s a stretch that I have not seen in high school basketball and I’ve been a part of it for about 22 years now. I haven’t seen somebody that’s gone for 30 like he [Gizzi] has been,” Whitaker said. “He can score, and the other teams know that he can score. He’s the focus of every defense and he’s still scoring like he is. If anyone could have a quiet 34 points, tonight was it.”
New Palestine’s next game is another conference matchup next Friday at home against Pendleton Heights beginning at 7:30 p.m.
New Palestine 62, Delta 54
Delta;15;11;12;16;—;54
New Palestine;14;13;17;18;—62
Delta (10-2, 1-1): D’Amare Hood 13 2-7 35, Jackson Wors 3 2-4 8, Kaiden Bond 0 0-0 0, Jordan Furney 2 0-1 4, Jayden Furney 0 0-0 0, Jonny Manor 0 0-0 0, Bronson Edwards 2 0-0 5, Caleb Jones 1 0-0 2. Totals: 21 4-12 54.
New Palestine (8-2, 2-1): Julius Gizzi 11 11-13 34, Ben Slagley 8 0-0 16, Moses Haynes 1 0-0 2, Brady Armstrong 1 0-0 2, Evan Darrah 0 0-0 0, Keagan Harrison 0 0-0 0, Austin McMahan 4 0-1 8. Totals: 25 11-14 62.
3-point goals: Delta 8 (Hood 7, Edwards); New Palestine 1 (Gizzi).
