New Palestine weekend sports wrapup

Boys basketball
Dragons 3rd in county tournament: New Palestine finished third in the Hancock County Tournament, winning the consolation game 59-34 over Eastern Hancock Saturday night at Greenfield-Central. Earlier in the day, the Dragons fell 60-39 to 3A No. 3 Mt. Vernon, their first regulation loss of the year.

Against Eastern Hancock, Michael Morris had 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting to go along with eight rebounds to lead the Dragons.

New Palestine led 32-16 at the half, then broke things wide open in the third quarter, outscoring EH 22-6 and taking a 54-22 lead going into the final eight minutes.

Justin Ikerd added 17 points and four steals. Brandon Jonas had eight points and 10 rebounds. Solomon Haynes had six points.

Morris and Jonas were named to the all-tournament team.

Against Mt. Vernon, the Dragons had a strong start -- leading 8-6 midway through the first quarter -- but MV used an 18-3 run to take the lead for good.

Morris had 12 points and Jonas 10 to lead the Dragons. Jonas was also, along with Connor Roach, the Dragons' leading rebounder with three each. Morris had three assists.

C.J. Coleman led Mt. Vernon with 26 points.

The Dragons are now 7-3 on the season. They return to conference play with a road game Friday at Delta, then again Jan. 11 at Pendleton Heights. The next home game will be Jan. 19 against Whiteland, which will be the Dragons' Coaches vs. Cancer game.

Girls basketball
Dragons finish 4th in county tournament: The Dragons dropped two games in the Hancock County Tournament Saturday, falling 55-37 to Greenfield-Central in the consolation game, after a 65-25 loss to 3A No. 7 Mt. Vernon in the semifinal round. Both games were played on the opposing team's home floor.

Against Greenfield-Central, the Dragons used a strong effort at the free throw line in the opening half and trailed 21-18 at the break. G-C used a 19-9 third quarter to take a double-digit lead.
Haley Stratman knocked down three 3-pointers and led the Dragons with 14 points. She also had seven rebounds. Natalie Kehrt had 10 points -- including 8-of-11 from the free throw line. Gia Nitschke added five points and seven rebounds.

As a team, the Dragons shot 16-of-23 from the free throw line.

Savannah Girolami led G-C with 19 points.

Against Mt. Vernon, Stratman had nine points and eight rebounds to lead the way for the Dragons. Adie Lorsuing added six points and three boards. Kehrt had six points.

Erica Moore led MV with 19 points.

Kehrt was named to the All-Tournament Team.

The Dragons (2-11) return to action Jan. 8 at home against Greenwood.

Dragons compete in Franklin Tournament: On Friday, the Dragons competed in the Franklin Lady Cub Classic. NP fell 53-21 to the host Franklin Grizzly Cubs in the first game, then dropped a 64-47 decision to Indian Creek in the consolation game.

Against Franklin, Natalie Kehrt had seven points and five rebounds to lead the way. Haley Stratman had six points and five boards. Katlyn Keele had six rebounds, and Gia Nitschke had three steals.

Against Indian Creek, the Dragons had a strong offensive night, led by Stratman's 10 points and five rebounds. Kehrt had eight points and team-highs with seven rebounds and three assists. Adie Lorsung and Emma Laughlin scored six points each.

NP used a solid second quarter and trailed 30-21 at the break, but IC used a 21-8 third quarter to push the lead to double digits.

Wrestling
Dragons 5th at Evansville Mater Dei Invitational: New Palestine placed fifth at the 16-team Evansville Mater Dei Invitational Saturday. 

Union County, the No. 2-ranked team in Kentucky, won the event with 203.5 points, just 4.5 ahead of Franklin and 5.5 ahead of host Mater Dei. NP was just 1.5 points back of Belleville West of Illinois.

The Dragons had one champion, C.J. Red at 106, winning a 6-4 decision in the final. Tommy Cash (120), Robbie Elsea (145) and Brian Wagner (182) all placed second in their respective weight classes, and all fell in one-point final-round matches.

Other placers were Gordon Wagner fourth (138), Willie Bryan fifth (285), Logan Hunt sixth (152) and Jared Timberman sixth (132).

NP next competes Thursday at home against Franklin Central, then again Saturday at the New Palestine Invitational.