New Palestine High School

The New Palestine girls basketball team rallied back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit Saturday afternoon, but fell 56-45 in overtime to East Central. Playing their second game in 18 hours, the Dragons trailed 36-26 in the fourth quarter after East Central went on a prolonged 21-3 run and had scored the first seven points of the quarter. But NP held EC without a field goal for the game's last six minutes, and defense allowed the Dragons to climb back in. Kendra Moore scored a three-point play and Sadey Hughbanks hit a free throw to cut the deficit to 36-30. Gabbie Brown then had a midcourt steal, which led to a Haven Flagle 3-pointer to cut the deficit to three. After an EC free throw, another midcourt steal-and-score by Brown cut the deficit to two. Sadey Hughbanks hit a driving shot in the lane to tie the game. EC responded with two free throws with 1:06 left, but the Dragons tied the game as Flagle hit a driving shot in the lane with 16 seconds remaining. NP got a stop and forced OT on the ensuing possession. In the extra session, the Trojans lived at the line. A foul on the floor led to two free throws on the opening possession. Brooklyn Crim answered with a game-tying basket, but EC answered with a 3-pointer to go up 44-41. Crim was fouled and hit two free throws, but EC again scored a three-point play on the next possession to go up 47-43. After one more EC free throw, Brown scored to make it a 48-45 game. The Dragons appeared to force a steal, but a foul was called with 50 seconds left. The official assessed a technical foul, leading to a six-point possession - all on free throws - for the Trojans to extend their lead to nine and put the game away. EC was 12-of-14 from the line in overtime, and all but two of its OT possessions ended with a foul. The Dragons struggled offensively early, falling behind 10-5 after a quarter - an early 3-pointer from Moore and a steal-and-score from Brown accounting for the Dragons' points. Trailing 12-6, the Dragons outscored EC 10-3 the rest of the half to take a 16-15 halftime lead. Brown scored five points in the quarter and Moore hit a 3-pointer. In the third, the Dragons pushed the lead to 23-15, scoring the first seven points of teh quarter on a three-point play by Crim, a 3-pointer from Hughbanks and a free throw from Brown. But EC clawed back, using six free throws and a 3-pointer to tie the game, and then taking the lead on a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from long distance to go up 29-26. EC made it 32-26 on a banked-in 3-pointer on the opening possession of the fourth, and added four more points on another triple and a free throw. Brown led the Dragons with 15 points, two shy of her career high. Moore tallied nine points. Crim and Hughbanks scored seven each. Flagle tallied five - all in the fourth quarter. Ally White added two points. The Dragons dropped the JV game 27-26. The Dragons are now 12-7. They next play Tuesday at Roncalli. The Dragons suffered their fourth straight loss - and their second overtime loss in five days.